Daytime Moon
by Eternity Locket
Summary: "This is just a word of advice: you have to be careful. Not everyone will understand that you are able to fool around with your butler as you do. You might convey the wrong idea." When Ciel calls upon Prince Soma to help him with a new case, the prince is eager to prove himself. However, his developing feelings for Agni are proving... distracting, to say the least. Soma/Agni
1. Prologue: Attention

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of the characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

Prince Soma woke up as soon as he heard the curtains being drawn. The orange morning sun shone through the window.

"It is time to rise and shine, my prince," came the low, soft-spoken voice of his attendant Agni. There was an edge of excitement in his tone.

Soma suddenly realised what day it was and eagerly sprang up from his luxurious bedsheets. Agni kneeled by his bedside.

"Happy Birthday, my prince," he said, beaming.

Soma grinned back and dashed to the wardrobe, skimming through an array of brightly-coloured outfits.

"What shall we do today, Agni? You have permission to skip out on your usual chores; I don't want to spend the day alone. Perhaps we could go out on our Free Curry rounds!"

Agni blinked.

"Are you sure you want to do this on your birthday? It's very good of you to do so, but-"

"Yes! Someone who aspires to be a true gentleman can't pick and choose what day to be a gentleman on. It has to be a constant thing." Soma held up a yellow garment which looked like it would just about cover the top of his ribcage. "How about this?"

"Well…" Agni started carefully. " In England it seems to be etiquette to cover your torso when out in town. And when we're in Rome, we have to do as the Romans do."

Soma laughed.

"Silly Agni, we're not in Rome!" he teased before pulling out something longer. "But I guess you're right. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention, do we?" He smiled at Agni's confused expression, which looked like he was trying to decide if Soma was being ironic. Soma just thought it was the kind of thing a gentleman might say, but to him, no attention was ever unwanted.

"I shall see to preparing the curry while you dress, Lord Soma," Agni said with a bow. "It is Red Lobster Curry, one of your favourites." Naturally, he hadn't made Blue Homard, or Blue Lobster Curry, since the curry contest. Soma wondered if it brought back shameful memories for him.

"Goody, let's start the day as always with some divine curry."

Soma relished how casually he could talk about divinity. He couldn't have found a better chef in the whole world. Agni's power truly came from the gods. Sometimes Soma felt Agni's talent was wasted on making food for him alone most of the time.

He watched Agni turn to leave. With a thoughtful frown, he stated, "Agni."

His servant turned back.

"Yes, my prince?"

Soma chewed his lip awkwardly.

"I'm now eighteen."

Agni smiled.

"Yes, it's a special year."

"So now…" Soma took a deep breath. "I'm an adult."

Agni's smile faded. He now looked puzzled.

"Yes, that's right…and?"

"Just…" Soma closed his eyes, embarrassed. "I just thought it important that you should know."

"I-Indeed, Lord Soma." There was a long pause before Agni smiled again. "An adult you are, and a fine one too. Naturally you'll want to be treated with respect, and I'm sure people will do so. Now, I had better go downstairs to serve the curry, but do come down for breakfast when you want to." He said this all rather quickly, and left in a hurried way.

Soma folded his arms up around the back of his head, annoyed with himself. Why did he come out and say these things? Why did he have to make it sound awkward? He didn't even know why he thought it so important to remind Agni of his adulthood. But…he wanted him to remember, for some reason.

_I'm an adult now…how odd, _he thought as he pulled on his standard outfit of bright red and equally bright blue. _But how fun too_, he added with a snicker. _I can't wait to lord it over my little friend Ciel._

* * *

><p>Balancing the curry dishes on one arm, Agni walked to the front door to collect the mail. Considering his master was a prince, the pile of letters was pitifully small. His thumb caught on one which was not a letter, but a note left on a business card. The handwriting was written in such immaculate handwriting he knew instantly it was from his friend Sebastian, the astonishingly competent butler to Prince Soma's best friend, young Earl Ciel Phantomhive.<p>

_Please come to the alley west of the harbour at 12.30 today. A matter of great importance to my master has arisen, so please keep this matter at your discretion._

The prince was sitting at the table when Agni entered the dining room, his legs hanging over the arm of his chair.

"My prince, adults usually sit at the table with their feet on the ground," Agni stated with an amused smile as his master swivelled in his chair to face him. "These are addressed to you," he said, handing them to the prince.

He made as if to stand back, but Soma stopped him.

"Sit with me."

"My prince, that would not be prudent-"

Soma gave a dismissive laugh.

"It's my birthday and hence yet another day where I get what I want, and today I'd like a breakfast companion. So sit!"

Agni sheepishly mumbled a "Jo Aagyaa" before taking a seat at the extensive table. He watched quietly as Soma started messily tearing through the envelopes. The eighteen-year-old didn't seem to mind how few there were.

"People wouldn't think to send me mail to a house belonging to Ciel, and few people know where we are anyway, so…" He broke off as he laughed at a pink, flowery card. "Look here what Lizzie says! 'Dear Prince, I hope you have the cutest day ever' – how can a day be cute, Agni? – 'and have a nice time being eighteen. I have a surprise for you, if you could come to the Phantomhive Mansion at 7 o'clock sharp tonight. Please, please, please come, because a night celebrating you would be that much better if you were there! Kind regards, Lady Elizabeth Midford, AKA Lizzie.' Ha ha, we can't really say no, can we?"

"Given that letter, and the fact that another of the letters is noted as being from the Midford household, it might be a wise option to attend," Agni replied with a bemused smile.

Soma took the letter Agni was referring to and tore it open a bit more timidly.

"'Kadar, turn up to the surprise birthday party my little sister is planning for you, or else. I don't want her efforts to go to waste. Midford. P.S. Have a nice birthday.'"

Agni laughed.

"The key to surprises is to not say what is happening. Lord Edward means well. Actually that reminds me; this note came from Mister Sebastian today."

Soma took it from him and grinned.

"Maybe Ciel is planning a party for me too!"

"Um…" To Agni, the note did not sound like it was suggesting any sort of celebration, unless Lord Ciel took party planning to a level of utmost seriousness. Soma chuckled and gave Agni a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"I'm kidding! Seriously, could you imagine that prospect?" He paused with a concerned look. "Were you planning on anything for tonight, Agni?"

"I did have a little something prepared, but tomorrows exist for this sort of occasion." The smile he received from his master at this sent warmth flowing through his body.

Soma rested his elbows on the table.

"Agni?" he began tentatively. "I was wondering…I know this is an off chance, but…I don't suppose there was anything sent to me from my parents, or any of my siblings, was there? Maybe not a present, but a letter or card or…anything?"

Agni shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, I'm sorry."

Soma's bright smile slipped, but was quickly fixed back into place.

"Oh well, it was unlikely anyway. I'm sure there's a reason, like maybe it's difficult to send letters from India all the way to England, or they are very busy, being the Royal Family of Bengal and all, or…"

_Or maybe they forgot about their twenty-sixth child, as per usual, _a voice in Agni's head suggested angrily. He refrained from stating this.

"I'm sure there's a reason," he said gently. "Still, I imagine they're wishing you a great day right now from where they are."

Soma's smile became more genuine.

"Indeed. Now, let's not let your delicious curry go cold! This looks amazing. You have some too, there's loads here – come on, don't look at me like that, it's not against, um, 'equitette' or whatever if there's only you and me in this house! You can share my plate, it'll save washing up." He drew a line through the rice with his fork. "This is your half and this is mine, let's have no fork fencing. Then we can go and save the world as usual."

"Feed the hungry, yes."

Agni stole a glance at Soma as the latter munched happily on spiced lobster. Soma's honey brown eyes were shining with innocent glee, no doubt thinking about the happy faces they were to see later on the murkier streets of London. Agni felt a wave of fondness rush through him. He found it endearing that Prince Soma believed they could simply 'save the world' by going outside and helping everyone they could, even though Agni himself knew deep down it was an impossible task. There would always be fortune determined by the position people were born into, always people who lose their way and commit more bad than good, always demons preying on those who had lost all hope.

Still, Agni knew Soma was capable of extraordinary power. When Arshad had fallen deep into the depths of despair, Soma had single-handedly pulled him out again, swept away the shattered pieces of his world and given him a new one. After struggling alone for so long, Agni had been so relieved to feel like someone was looking after him. In exchange, he would look after his saviour in return.

Then maybe, working together, they could look after other people too.

Soma put down his fork.

"Agni, let's go out and do our best today."

Agni bowed his head.

"Jo Aagyaa."


	2. Co-operation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of the characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

Soma and Agni made their way to the harbour of the Thames, Agni wheeling his stove, stacked up with saucepans and his ingredients. Several people were waiting already, recognising them as the pair who gave out free curry. They were dressed shabbily in ragged clothing. As soon as they saw the pair, they formed a neat line, waiting for what was likely going to be their only meal of the day.

With his usual quiet efficiency, Agni set up the stove. Once he had heated the pan, he took out a special sectored box, where he kept all the spices that correlated well with chicken, the flavour of the day. His fingers hovered over several before selecting four or five different spices. He smiled at his choices and set to work on his latest concoction.

While he was doing this, Soma watched him, a secretly admiring smile pulling at his lips. He liked watching his khansama cook. It was a special sight to see Agni's hands move at lightning speed as he performed each action, yet still with care and precision. His khansama had large, strong hands which Soma had seen him use for fighting multiple times, but they were controlled and gentle when he cooked.

Soma found himself taking glances up at Agni's face, which always took on an intensely serious look of concentration when making curry. Soma used to find it amusing – _Agni, you look like you think the world will end if you don't properly mix the spices! _– but now, he thought it strangely compelling and respectable. _Stop staring now, Ciel warned me it is unacceptable to stare at a person for more than four seconds, _he reminded himself.

"Um, excuse me, sir?"

Soma snapped out of his trance to see a small boy dressed as a chimney-sweep looking up at him. He smiled down at the little fellow.

"Yes?"

The boy licked his lips nervously.

"I was wondering if I might take a couple more of your servings back home with me today."

Some of the people in the queue muttered angrily at this.

Soma considered the boy for a moment. He was skin and bone, with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. These eyes were gazing at him hopefully.

"It…it's just that…" the boy started to stammer. "My mother, she…she likes your friend's cooking, but lately we've had a…a change in circumstances which leaves us with not enough to eat and she gives me and my brothers everything…" His voice trailed off despairingly, as if he thought it pointless even asking.

Out of the corner of his eye, Soma could see Agni stirring the sauce slower, his mouth a thin line. Soma kneeled down beside the boy, who had fallen to his knees.

"That is awful luck. Take as much as you want today, there's plenty to go around. Your mother sounds a fine woman." The boy slowly turned his head back to the prince, who was smiling at him warmly. "Just remember, to have a person in your life who will do anything for you makes you a very fortunate person. Sometimes the gods give us different blessings, and people who have what you lack often lack what you have."

"Thank you sir," the boy said meekly. "But…I've always been told there is only one God". Some of the people waiting in line nodded their heads in agreement.

Before Soma could answer, Agni called out, "we're ready to serve," in a slightly affected voice. Soma whipped his head to see Agni quickly wiping the sleeve of his sherwani across his eyes before turning back to their recipients. Soma gave him an understanding nod. Agni was quick to cry (Soma couldn't pretend that he himself wasn't prone to bouts of hysterical sobbing when moved either), but had been warned by Ciel that in England, crying was a sign of disgraceful emotional weakness.

"England really is different from India," Soma muttered, as he helped Agni load curry onto plates of rice.

Agni handed him another plate.

"It is. Remember that everyone here has been brought up in a very different way to you and I. Many are not brought up to know of the customs of other countries." His grey eyes softly met Soma's. "It pains me to think that you are lacking in…certain blessings."

Soma tried to picture his parents reaching out for him. The image he formed in his mind was so unfamiliar and fake his heart went hollow. He pushed the image away. It was his birthday and thus a day of happiness. He threw back his head and laughed.

"Misfortunate? Me? I'm a prince, and it's my birthday, and tonight, I'm being thrown a party by some of our new English friends! What have I to complain about?"

Agni took the dish from Soma and handed it to the next person in line.

"My prince, you don't need to hide anything from me," he said, before anxiously adding, "Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, that is fine too, you don't have to tell me, but you're welcome to, if you like, but…um…"

Listening to Agni's fumbling of words made Soma smile.

"I'm dandy, really! I mean, in regards to 'certain blessings', I…" His mouth twisted in thought, before he grinned again. "Well, I have you, don't I? And every day you show that you would do anything for me!" After dropping more curry onto another serving, he added with a wink, "I think that counts as a 'certain blessing', don't you?"

He noticed Agni had gone a little red and laughed.

"You do get embarrassed easily! Honestly." A flash of black caught his eye and his face lit up with excitement. "Ciel! Hey, Cieeeel! Over here!" he shouted, dropping his ladle and tearing down the street, turning the heads of onlookers.

Earl Ciel Phantomhive had barely turned around to hear the yelling when Soma tackled him into an almighty hug.

"Get off!" the small thirteen-year-old huffed, struggling to free himself. It was only when Sebastian stepped within five feet of them that Soma let go, nervous of Ciel's intimidating butler. "I thought I had specified for you to be discreet!" Ciel hissed as he noticed the whole street looking their way.

"You always say that, but what could you possibly have to say which you couldn't just say out in the open, like normal people?" Soma asked, blinking innocently.

Sebastian covered his mouth with a gloved hand, though his smirk was still visible through the gaps between his fingers.

"Young Master, I believe _Prince Soma_ is suggesting your behaviour is abnormal."

Ciel shot him a glare before turning back to Soma.

"We need your help with some…business."

"Ah, capital! We're here at your service as usual," said Soma with a delighted grin. "Hey, Agni!" he called out to his manservant, who was serving their 'customers' single-handedly. "Ciel wants our help with his-!" The rest of his sentence was lost when Sebastian clapped a hand over his mouth, efficiently cutting off any sound he could make.

"We'd appreciate your co-operation to be carried out _quietly_," Sebastian said in a soft yet dangerous voice. His lips leered closer to the prince's ear. "It would make matters easier for all parties."

He released Soma, making the prince stumble back over the pavement. Soma was prevented from falling by Agni catching him from behind. Soma looked over his shoulder as Agni lifted him back onto his feet, awed that he could have shot forward to steady him from the other end of the street. Ciel looked slightly unnerved too, which Soma found surprising as Sebastian performed impossible tasks at least five times a day.

Sebastian helped Agni hand out the rest of the curry and restack the stove. Soma sidled up to Ciel as they waited.

"For such a huge man, my khansama has cat-like tread," he said proudly.

Ciel adjusted his stylish top hat, the stunned expression wiped clean off his face.

"Indeed. No wonder my butler has taken such a liking to him."

* * *

><p>Having left the stove hidden under a dust cover, the four of them walked down several alleyways, each leading them into a darker street of London. The area unnerved Soma, who walked close to Ciel. He disliked the rats that ran in plain-sight by their feet, the murky air, the intoxicated men slumped against the walls with empty bottles in their hands. It looked vaguely familiar; possibly they had crossed through this area when searching for Mina. <em>Months ago,<em> Soma thought to himself, trying to walk a little taller. _How I've changed. Though…I like to think I could change even more._

He looked to the rest of his company, who appeared completely composed despite their surroundings. Soma straightened up, attempting to form his most princely posture.

"Where are we going, Ciel?" he asked in a falsely upbeat voice.

"To visit an associate," Ciel answered. "Or more accurately, use his venue for our discussion." He froze as they approached an old funeral parlour. The slanted 'Undertaker' sign, marked with a skull for decoration, sent shivers up Soma's spine, even more than the rest of the street. The sign on the door was swung at 'Closed'.

"It doesn't look like they're in, Ciel," Soma said, relieved.

"Yes, a 'Closed' sign would suggest that, thank you Prince," Sebastian remarked.

Ciel shook his head, continuing down the street.

"This isn't the place. I was just…curious, that is all." Sebastian gave a sly smile, but didn't comment, following his master further down the street.

After about five minutes more walking, they reached their destination; an extremely ordinary, if somewhat run-down, building. Sebastian neatly wrapped his knuckles on the door. The letter flap opened and two large, emotionless eyes peered out at them through the slit in the door.

"What," the feminine voice breathed, as emotionless as the eyes.

"My master would like a secluded place to discuss recent affairs," Sebastian answered her with a charming smile.

The door creaked open. A petite woman, with her hair styled into sharp buns that reminded Soma of cat ears, stood expressionless at the doorway. Without saying another word she slipped down a descending passage of stairs. A cheerful voice could be heard from down these stairs.

"Who is there, Ran-Mao?"

"Them," was her quiet answer.

Ciel and Sebastian started to walk down the stairs. Soma and Agni exchanged a confused look before following them.

The air was even smokier down here than it was in the streets, and it made Soma dizzy merely inhaling it. He heard Agni coughing and trying to clear his throat behind him. Ciel took off his hat and waved it around to clear the fog. Emerging from the haze was Lau, the manager of a trading company, who associated regularly with Ciel and had met Soma and Agni a few times as well. He gave them a friendly, carefree smile.

"Why hello, Lord Earl! How pleased I am that you've once again decided to come to my dreamer's cove!" He gave a fleeting laugh as he turned towards Soma and Agni. "What a relief it is to see more of your friends! I was beginning to fear for my life, you know! There is an unfortunate trend in your associates mysteriously disappearing from society, my Lord." He said this all with a calm, light-hearted dissonance. Soma felt even less at ease. He shrank back slightly, almost backing into Agni's chest. Agni placed a protective hand on his shoulder, though his eyes were trained on Lau.

"Lau, you know that so long as you don't become the Queen's adversary, I have no need to report you," Ciel said nonchalantly. "The Viscount of Druitt, Madam Red, the circus troupe, the Undertaker…they all made moves in the game which were just too obvious to ignore."

Lau's ears seemed to twitch like a fox's.

"What's this? Mister Undertaker is on your list as well, eh?"

"What? Yes!" Ciel responded irritably. "I thought you knew! Oh, never mind, forget it." He looked like he rather regretted mentioning anything. Lau's smile broadened. Ciel sighed. "Anyhow, we're leaving that aside for now. There's a more pressing matter to deal with at the moment. We just came to use your quarters."

"Ah! In that case, pretend I'm not even here!" Lau reclined back onto a futon, spreading his arms along its back. Now the steam had parted, the four could see three girls squeezed on each side of him, all with the cat-ear hairstyle of Ran-Mao.

"What goes on down here?" Soma wondered aloud.

"It's best not to ask," Ciel replied dismissively, taking a seat on an empty futon and motioning for Soma to do the same. Sebastian and Agni remained standing, close enough to hear. Ciel crossed his legs. "Whenever the Queen wants a matter of the criminal underworld dealt with, she calls for me to investigate. Sometimes I deal with issues so trivial they are a waste of time, but this current issue is not one of them."

Soma nodded, wide-eyed. A crease formed at Ciel's forehead.

"Over the last week there has been a great increase in the number of…_arson_ offences, which have been committed on the homes of several nobles across the country."

It was when Agni gasped that Soma realised the significance.

"Ciel, do you think _they_ might have come for you?" he asked, quivering slightly. "The people who…?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," said Ciel, shaking his head. "These arsons have been carried out on a number of stately homes. But yes, as a noble, I am likely an upcoming target, unless we find evidence to suggest otherwise."

"Why?" Soma worriedly covered a cheek with his hand. "Why would they do that?"

"We can't know at this point, but it surprises me that you are surprised. Crime is an everyday occurrence after all. Anyway, even if you decide not to help, this is at least a warning that nobles such as you and I are not popular with certain conspirators at the moment." Ciel raised his voice. "That goes for you too, Lau."

"Thanks for the heads-up, my dear Lord Earl!" Lau called back from the other side of the basement happily, as if he had been told which horse he should bet on at the races instead of being warned that his quarters might get burned down.

Soma gripped Ciel by the shoulders. He felt Ciel flinch, but the boy didn't push him away.

"Ciel, there is no question about us helping you! Whatever we can – just tell us what to do and we'll do it!"

Ciel's lips quirked up in a small smile.

"You don't even know what I might ask you to do yet. But thank you. I have a specific task for you two. I would like you to make some inquiries with those from working class backgrounds and see if you can find any information. Just the local area for now. Try to appear idly curious about the arson incidents, but don't give anyone a reason to be suspicious of you, and by all means don't let anyone know you are connected to the name of Phantomhive."

"Got it! We can do this!"

Ciel raised his forefinger in a warning gesture.

"Remember, _subtle._ I know subtlety isn't either of your strong points, but if people draw connections between us, it would not only be inconvenient, it would be dangerous. That is why I wanted to discuss the issue here instead of at either of my residences until I have both places given a thorough security check."

Soma paled.

"You mean they could be watching either right now?"

"There is a chance we have to entertain, yes, though it's not likely unless we have phenomenally bad luck." Ciel rose from the futon. "Sebastian, I order you to scour the mansion for any imminent danger."

Sebastian placed a hand to his chest and bowed.

"Yes, my Lord."

He was gone in the blink of an eye. Ciel looked up at Agni.

"Agni…might you do the same for my townhouse?"

Soma looked up, expecting Agni to bow and go as Sebastian had. Instead, his eyes met Agni's, which were looking to him for confirmation. Soma was pleased by this. _Yes, Agni is my khansama. Mine. He only takes orders from me. Ciel can order around everyone he likes, but not him. _A smug voice in his head added cosily, _when Sebastian said I had nothing to call my own, he was wrong. _He felt ashamed for thinking this a second later. _Agni is only mine because he has given himself to me. He has done this because he puts my needs far before his own. Perhaps I should start doing the same._

Soma stood up.

"I'll go with him."

"My prince, I implore you! Please stay with Lord Ciel, it could be dangerous!" Agni gasped, shaking his head.

"Well, all the more reason you should not be going there alone," Soma responded stubbornly.

"There is really no need for you to accompany him," said Ciel in a bored voice. "If there was trouble, you'd only get in the way. But there is a very small chance there would be anyone there, so perhaps I might get some peace and quiet for a while if you went with him."

He picked up his walking stick and led the way out of the basement. Lau followed them to the door, still smiling.

"Let's hope no trouble arises, Your Highness. But in case there is a sneaky little mouse with some matches lurking there, you can use theis." He handed Soma a needle, which didn't look like it could be used for sewing. "Consider it a present from me!" he added with a laugh.

"For my birthday?" Soma asked, delighted.

"Oh, today is your birthday, is it? How nice. Then yes, Happy Birthday! Come on, 'happy!'" he added in response to Soma's now slightly crestfallen expression. Ciel looked rather uncomfortable.

"You kept that surprisingly quiet, Prince."

Soma raised his eyebrows.

"I don't think I did? I did mention it was coming up. In fact, I think I've been counting down the days from two weeks ago!"

Ciel's cheeks went pink.

"Well, all the same, I hadn't anticipated it was _today._" He smiled feebly. "Happy Birthday, Prince." His eyes widened as he was yanked into an enthusiastic hug.

"Thank you, Ciel!" Soma sang. "I don't mind you forgetting! A good man is satisfied with a few thoughtful words, right?"

"Erm, indeed." Ciel frowned as he was released. "You're still set on being a 'good man', then."

"Possibly now even more so than ever! I shall see you at the party Lizzie is throwing later, I take it?"

Ciel stepped up into his carriage.

"I imagine so." He sat down, looking straight ahead as he was driven off home. Soma's smile faded as he watched the carriage roll off into the distance.

"Ciel must carry such heavy burdens," he sighed. "Fancy having so much work to do that you can't remember your best friend's birthday, because instead you have to worry about assassins."

Lau gave a crafty smile.

"That is very generously-spirited of you, Your Highness. Perhaps almost unnecessarily so."

Soma shook his head.

"I have a long way to go before I could be called generous. Ciel keeps pointing out that even the things I do that help others seem to be for my benefit." He smiled. "Hopefully I can change that too." He looked over his shoulder for his manservant. "Agni, are you coming?"

Agni was still watching the carriage when he snapped back into focus.

"Oh, yes, Prince Soma."

They walked side by side back through the sinister streets. Soma couldn't help but notice that Agni looked unhappy, as if he thought something was unjust. He playfully slapped Agni's arm.

"Hey, it's a splendid day today," he said, imitating Lau's easy-going voice. "A happy day, in fact. Come on, 'happy!'"

Agni gave a small smile.

"Of course." His voice took on a more serious tone. "My prince, if there is anything you want today that you don't have – in fact, any other day too – then let me know and I will try my hardest to get it for you." His lip trembled, his gaze becoming so passionate it surpassed Soma's level of amusement he usually felt when Agni said anything inappropriately, overly serious. Soma's eyes fixated on Agni's. "My prince, believe me, I would take the very stars from the sky if you wanted them!"

Seventeen-year-old Soma would have burst into hysterical laughter by now. But for some reason unknown to him, eighteen-year-old Soma was searching for a reply he could give to his servant. _Agni, it isn't about wanting something you _don't_ have. It's about wanting something you _can't_ have. _Those grey eyes were still locked on his. Soma was starting to feel dizzy as neither gaze relented. _More and more, I feel like what I want isn't in my reach._ _What do I want, even? Happy friends who remember my birthday, parents who reach out for me and…something else I can't quite pin. It's something to do with Agni, but he gives me all he can anyway. So…what? _This thought jolted his others. _No, those things are not what I want. I want Ciel's troubles to go away. I want Mother and Father to forgive me for being a nuisance. I want…I want to feel like there is nothing I can't have._

He couldn't say all this out loud, of course.

Instead, he stretched contentedly.

"Something I want, hmm? Let's see…how about you give me a ride on your back and run down the streets at your fastest? That's always fun no matter how old you are."

This made Agni chuckle. His serious expression disappeared.

"Jo Aagyaa."


	3. Teamwork

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

Agni stopped short at the corner leading to the lane of the townhouse, letting Soma slide down his back.

"We must be careful here, Lord Soma," he murmured. "We can't know where and if we are being watched." He rubbed his forehead. "This is all quite unfortunate timing."

"Perhaps the assassins wanted to wish me a Happy Birthday too," Soma said with a half-smile. Agni fiddled with the bandages on his right hand.

"If that is the case, they will have to greet me first." He peered round the corner. "The street looks quiet, but we cannot be sure. Please stay here."

He disappeared around the other side of the house they were waiting by. Soma looked around for him, confused at where he disappeared to. When he spotted Agni on the roof, he laughed out loud before clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Agni!" he called out in a hushed voice. "You strange one, what are you doing up there?" From the rooftop, Agni surveyed the surrounding area.

"Everywhere seems clear," he muttered. Then something caught his eye. "Or at least clear enough." He scaled back down the wall to land next to his master. "Let us proceed with caution."

Agni deliberately took to walking on Soma's right as they crossed the street, daring the shady man he had spotted from the roof to come closer. When the man dashed towards them, a knife outstretched, Agni effortlessly blocked his arm, twisted it behind his back and pinned him to the ground. Soma turned round to see the commotion.

"Who's that, Agni?"

"Just the usual."

"Aah."

Agni neatly removed the knife from their attacker's trembling hand. He met the man's eyes with a steely gaze.

"You are not working for anyone, are you?"

"We can quickly find out if you are," Soma added, approaching them.

The man shook his head desperately. Agni pinned him still with his knees whilst searching in his pockets for any other weapons with his free hand.

"You're motivated by money, I presume?" The man nodded, growing paler. Agni smiled.

"In that case, come to the harbour some time at mid-morning. We give out curry for those such as yourself who cannot afford it."

"Saves your pennies and saves lives!" Soma chirped. Agni pulled the man to his feet.

"Please, just do not attack any more people, though I'm not sure how far you would get with your fists alone."

The man gaped at them for a moment before slowly turning around and leaving, wordlessly, as if in a daze. Soma put his hands on his hips.

"We're not very popular around here, are we?" Agni didn't answer straight away. "Agni?"

"There will be times, Prince Soma, when we are despised not for what we do, but for what we are," Agni finally replied, a serious expression on his face.

Soma smirked.

"You're in a philosophical mood, and by that I mean even more than usual, which is saying something."

"As a prince you are an object of envy for many. Even if people are unaware of who you are, they could deem you a target by your appearance alone. That is why we have to take extra caution." Soma blinked, his smirk gone.

"Well I'm sorry that they despise me, Agni. What am I to say – sorry for being a prince?"

"My prince," Agni exclaimed. "I didn't mean they have a right to do so!"

"I think that's the problem though. If 'many' becomes the majority, then they will have a right to hold these opinions _and _act on them. In society, England or India, the majority is king. Surely you know this, Agni."

Agni stared wordlessly at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond to this. He was reassured when Soma smiled again, an expression he was used to his master possessing.

"Luckily this is mostly only relating to crime. It's why everyone is not allowed to go around killing everyone else, because most people wouldn't like that!"

"That wouldn't be very nice," Agni agreed. He looked around again. No new passers-by. "Let us search the house."

* * *

><p>After an hour of soundlessly searching every inch of the house for any sign of intruders, it seemed evident that they were alone in the house. Soma crashed onto a chair in the living room. Agni was still glancing around when he felt Soma tugging at his green sherwani, a playful smile on his face.<p>

"Are you going to remain standing all day?" he asked.

Agni was surprised by the question.

"Why, yes, until I return to my quarters," he replied. "As a servant I need to be up and ready to serve at any point." He smiled back at his master, amused. "I do so every day, it's not an unusual occurrence."

Soma stretched out his limbs.

"Well, if you ask me that sounds a rather unreasonable-"

He suddenly froze, his eyes widening. Agni followed his line of vision to one of the paintings on the wall. It was a pleasant but unremarkable picture of a dog and Agni couldn't see its significance. Soma stood up, walking slowly and silently towards the painting.

"My prin-?"

Soma whirled round and reached up to cover Agni's mouth with his palm. He gestured for him to move with him towards the painting. Soma looked round the side of the frame, pressing his cheek against the wall and shutting one eye. What he saw made him inhale sharply through his mouth. Before Agni could see what he saw, his master was pulling him by the sleeve out of the room.

Soma raced down several corridors with Agni in tow, slowing down as they passed more paintings, then speeding up at all other moments. Agni allowed himself to be dragged away, wondering what was causing this sudden bout of bizarre behaviour. He could hear his master's breath quicken as he made for a door they never usually went in. Soma yanked him through the door and shut it behind them.

They had come to a room which was empty apart from some ancient pieces of furniture. An old wardrobe took up the majority of the room space. Agni puzzled over Soma's sudden urge to pay this room a visit while the younger man darted over to the side of the wardrobe and looked down the side of the wall it was leaning against. With a satisfied nod, Soma threw open the wardrobe door, dived inside, pulled Agni in with him and slammed it shut on them.

Agni blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He heard his master panting next to him.

"We should be safe here for the time being," Soma said breathlessly. His eyes were still wide with fright.

"My prince," Agni began. "Why are we hiding in a wardrobe?"

"It's the only place I'm certain they won't hear us," Soma whispered. He leant back against the mahogany wall. "The paintings, they're rigged."

"Rigged?"

"It's a technique Ciel told me about," Soma explained. "I don't know how it works, but apparently you can make sound travel down a taut piece of string." He bunched his fringe into his left hand in frustration. "I wish I could remember, but I asked Ciel once how he had made the prefects back at Weston so pleased with him. He told me he had helped them catch a bully red-handed by making them overhear him in action. Apparently he did something like tying string to things like paintings."

Agni thought for a moment.

"Would it be to send sound waves down the string?" Soma snapped his fingers in realisation when he said this.

"Yes, that's right! Sound travels by _vibrations_, that's what he said. There was a lot of string tied to the painting, the strands going through tiny holes in the wall. Which means someone outside is listening in on us." His breath was becoming increasingly loud and quick. Agni placed his hands on his shoulders in an attempt to calm him down. "What are we to do, Agni? I suppose we should cut them?"

Agni thought this through before shaking his head.

"If we cut them, that lets our spy know that we know about them." He frowned. "Actually, the string might lead us to their location. Perhaps we should follow it….if you feel at ease doing so?" Soma was trembling, but he took a deep breath and straightened up with a determined nod. Agni smiled, lightly squeezing his master's shoulders. "They most likely won't be there, but if they are, they will not overpower us." A more accurate description would be that they would not overpower _him,_ but Agni kept that detail at his discretion.

They retraced their steps back to the living room. Agni took a look behind the painting himself.

"They have done a professional job," he muttered, looking at the string neatly linking the painting to the gaps in the wall, as discreet as a spider's thread. He turned back to his master. "These strings will lead outside into the courtyard," he whispered. His voice was barely audible and Soma strained to listen to him. "From there we will be able to trace where they are leading to."

Agni quietly opened the door to the small courtyard. Since they had taken up residence at Ciel's townhouse, the courtyard had miraculously improved in beauty. This was really not so miraculous in context; when you are presented with a garden that looks as if it has been fried, the only way to go is up. Agni surveyed the walls as his master crept through the door after him. The strings were joined to another piece of string. This one was stretched along from one end of the courtyard to the other, leading through another small gap in the brickwork of the tall garden wall. It looked inconspicuous: if anyone saw it, they would assume it was a washing line. Agni and Soma followed it to the wall. The taller man touched the wall thoughtfully.

"This string probably leads a good deal away from the manor. We might also need to consider this being a trap. I'm afraid I cannot think of any alternatives though." Agni got down on one knee. "It might be easier if I take you up here." Soma wrapped his arms and legs around his servant. Agni took one last look at the string before climbing up the wall.

The string stretched across several nearby houses, with no end in sight. Agni ran along the wall edge with Soma on his back. He heard Soma gasp as he leapt to the neighbouring rooftop.

"Are you alright, my prince?" he asked as he landed and continued running along the tiles.

"Y-yes, Agni. You just astonish me sometimes, that's all."

Agni raised his eyebrows. No feat he performed had ever surprised his prince before. Usually Soma accepted that his khansama could do anything with childish innocence. Soma gave a light, nervous chuckle.

"This is quite fun, isn't it? Up here, it's like riding an elephant, albeit a very fast, quiet one."

"Elephants are lovely animals, but I hope I am not that much like one, my prince." Agni smiled as he heard his master laugh properly. _Focus on the task at hand,_ he sharply reminded himself. He sprang to the next rooftop, where he began to run along a row of houses. A phrase he had heard Sebastian utter once, 'how long is a piece of string', had never been so apt as he sprinted for what felt like miles down the rooftops.

They finally reached the end of the string on the final roof of the lane, fixed to what looked like a small metal cone. This cone was strategically supported on its side and tied securely to the chimney pot. There was not a soul in sight. While Agni stopped to catch his breath, Soma hopped off his back and crouched down to press his ear to the cone's lip.

"There's not much to hear at the moment," he said. He shut his eyes. "Hang on, I'm picking up…maybe a fly? Some insect?" He paled. "It's very clear. I imagine our spy heard everything."

"We cannot tell when or how long our spy was listening to us," Agni tried to assure him. It disturbed him that he was also trying to assure himself. "I don't know if whoever was here overheard anything of use to them."

Soma's hair flicked his face as he stared at the cone, deep in thought. Agni did not like this at all. His prince was usually a cheerful and spirited individual, but Agni had noticed that whenever Soma was sad or nervous or stressed, he went noticeably quieter. He watched as his master's eyes began to darted around, glancing at the string, then the cone, then the rooftop...

Then Soma gradually started to smile. Agni looked at him inquiringly.

"All is not lost, Agni!" Soma said triumphantly. "Yes, we have been listened in on, but, hey, we're onto them! We know more about them than we did earlier, don't we?"

_Focus on the positives: go._

"That is certainly true," Agni replied. "We are looking for someone who is relatively easy to trace. Someone who is cowardly and not wanting to face us fairly."

"So, a complete _pagaal*_?"

"An utter pagaal." Agni searched for more straws to grasp. "They can climb onto roofs, but assume others can't."

Soma's face lit up.

"That's right! They underestimate us, a fatal flaw. It was beyond their calculations that I might spot their little trick."

Agni stooped down to subtly loosen the string, trying to make it appear as if nature damaged it.

"You are very sharp, my Prince."

"Mm-hmm." Soma grinned down at Agni. "They didn't think I would have a strange roof-jumping khansama either. How silly of them." His eyelids lowered thoughtfully. "We make a good team," he added softly.

Agni's heart skipped a beat.

"Now we should head back. We don't want to be late for the party, or we will face the wrath of Lizzie and Edward, which is a lot more deadly than whoever is stalking us."

"Late in more ways than one, indeed."

Agni stood up to walk alongside Soma back along the rooftops. He adored his master's optimism and did his best to encourage it, but he had a pressing feeling deep down that they were ignoring some vital issues. Firstly, their spy was agile and slippery, if he or she was able to rig the painting and climb about on rooftops and not be noticed, or at least not be reported as suspicious. This side of London took immense pride in their property, so Scotland Yard would have been onto them in a trice if someone had spotted.

Secondly, the astonishingly obvious evidence they had left behind made Agni suspect two possibilities: their spy was either very thick, or more likely, didn't think it would matter if they left evidence because they would be attacking very soon.

_Tonight._

"Agni." Soma's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I don't fancy walking all the way back to the house from up here. Let's find a way down."

Agni nodded and jumped from the roof, landing feet-first onto the stone ground with the ease of a gymnast. Soma slid down to hang over the edge, clinging to the highest window pane.

"Catch me!" he called, letting go of the window pane. He laughed like a pleased child as Agni caught him. Agni gazed at him in thought. _How you trust me, Prince Soma. I wonder if you have as much faith in me as I do in you._

"Hey, play fair. You can put me down now."

"Oh, sorry Your Highness."

He placed Soma back on his feet. The prince ran off ahead. He looked back at Agni over his shoulder.

"Race you back to the gate!" It didn't seem to matter to him that he was already half-way there.

Agni smiled good-naturedly and followed him to the entrance. _You can rely on me, my prince. I'll protect you no matter what._

***pagaal – 'fool' in Hindi. It was used in Volume 4 of the manga so I thought I might include it XD**

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading :)**


	4. Effort

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

Soma looked outside as their carriage pulled up outside the Phantomhive Mansion. Someone had draped a long, fancy red carpet across the stone stairs leading up to the grand mansion doors, which in semi-custom Phantomhive hospitality looked like an alarming trip-hazard. Roses which appeared to be long deceased were scruffily tied round the pillars. A homemade banner hung precariously from the door arch, spelling out in multi-coloured letters, 'Happy Birthday Your Highness!'

Soma's cheeks glowed with delight. From the seat opposite him, Agni smiled.

"They have certainly put in a lot of effort."

The carriage drew to a halt. Soma flung open the door and dashed outside. Agni followed him, laughing. He overtook Soma, picked up the corners of the red carpet and deftly shook the ruffles from it, making it safer to walk on. Soma nearly tripped up the stairs anyway in excitement, but managed to keep his balance and eagerly opened the huge doors to the manor.

They were pounced on as soon as they set foot in the manor. Each had a hand seized by an astonishingly well-dressed lady, whose expression was positively thunderous.

"Men," she fumed, narrowing her eyes from behind her spectacles. "Almost _always_ forget to dress properly for the occasion! You're coming with me, the both of you, before anyone sees you." She turned round, switching her grip before they could escape and towed them up the stairs, her brunette side-ponytail swinging like a pendulum. Soma cast a look at Agni, implicitly asking why he was letting them be abducted by an angry fashionista, but Agni shook his head as if to assure him they should just go with it.

Their captor looked around craftily before pulling them into one of the manors' many guest bedrooms. She pushed them both onto a settee with impressive force. Brandishing a tape measure, she started prowling round the room, observing them disdainfully. Then her expression softened as she appeared to take in Soma's bright, distinctly Indian attire.

"It's not that you're not dressed _well,_ it's just that you're not dressed _appropriately._ You're in the presence of Her Ladyship the Marchioness Midford, you know, whose standards of presentation are higher than Her Majesty Queen Victoria." Soma looked down at his clothes, wondering if what he was wearing was really so shameful.

"This is what I usually wear back in Bengal. I am the twenty-sixth child of the Raja-"

"I'm informed of who you are, and I hope one day you will be able to go to Bengal and spread the word of how your tailor-of-choice is I, Nina Hopkins. That aside, we have actually met before. You might have somehow forgotten me, but I remember you, if only for your purple hair."

Soma internally cringed. How could he have forgotten this woman?

"Now, without further ado, I shall measure you and adjust your outfits I specially prepared accordingly. Don't be shy - this is my job, and if you stay still this needle will not go anywhere near you!"

"Outfits?" Agni questioned. Nina gave an evil smile.

"Did you really think Lady Elizabeth would throw you a party and _not _make it a costume party?"

* * *

><p>Soma padded down the stairs, holding up his lion's tail in an attempt to not trip over it. His 'mane', made of a brown feathery scarf, tickled his neck, making him shiver. Even after their 'prime time with Nina', he still felt elated with excitement. He sat on the lowest step, waiting for Agni to escape from Nina's artistic fingers. He grinned as his servant appeared at the top of the stairs.<p>

"Agni, what are you exactly?" His khansama was dressed in a yellow-and-brown patched one-piece and now sported black gloves, clopping shoes and what looked like a pair of small rounded horns on his head. He too had been given an impractical fabric tail. Agni rubbed his neck, which had spots painted down the sides.

"Apparently I'm a giraffe," he replied, amused. "Luckily we were short on time, otherwise I'd be fearful that our tailor friend would try to stretch my neck."

"No guesses for what made them decide on that," Soma said, looking up at the top of Agni's head. He often had to crane up slightly in order to do this. Agni happened to be the tallest man Soma had ever met, which was an appropriate quality for a bodyguard.

Agni pushed the door open for them. Soma gasped a little at what he saw. The ballroom had been transformed into a jungle. The floor was covered with sand and green leaves. Long tables were stacked with fruit, trifle and cake. Vines hung from the ceiling, begging Soma to swing on them. Other trees lined the walls, trees which looked like the lack of sun and the cold of England had no effect on them…

"Impossible," Soma heard Agni whisper. Soma raised his eyebrows and shrugged. With Sebastian around, did the word 'impossible' even exist? This thought was immediately abolished when he spotted a flurry of pink whizzing towards them at a speed that could only be deemed 'impossible', assuming this pink blur was not Sebastian.

Lizzie, dressed in a feathery gown of the loudest pink, ground to a halt before she could careen into Soma, her blonde ringlets bouncing. The hugest of smiles was plastered across her face as she clasped her hands together.

"Prince!" she squeaked. "Did you have a nice day? Please say you did!" Soma remembered her card from that morning.

"It was adorable," he said with a grin, humouring her. Lizzie squealed with delight and made as if to hug him.

"Elizabeth!" A sharp woman's voice made Elizabeth flinch back. A tall, magnificent lady with her blonde hair tied back in a bun and a stony expression came walking slowly towards them. Soma remembered at once that this was Lizzie's fearsome mother. "It is not proper to scream at one's guests."

"Yes, mother."

"Furthermore, your _fiancé _shall be arriving here within five minutes, or so I hope."

Soma nearly laughed. Honestly, was _this_ how the British saw every sign of affection? No wonder Ciel acted so embarrassed whenever Soma tried to give him a friendly cuddle or stroke his hair. The implications that crossed Soma's mind as he connected these events together made his laughter harder to suppress. Lady Francis shot him a cold look. Lizzie's face lit up.

"Ciel is going to come down? Hooray! I can't wait to see him in his costume – he'll look so cute! I'll go and find him. Are you coming, Prince?"

"Yes! Let's bring him down!" Soma slipped away with Lizzie. He was becoming unnerved by the way the Marchioness had her eyes fixated on his hair as if she was fighting an urge to cut it. He looked back, realising Agni had not followed, but then remembered that as a servant Agni would be expected to help out at the party, and even if he wasn't, his khansama was the sort of person who would offer to help anyway. He glanced around the room. There were perhaps twenty or so guests, but he barely recognised any of them. It didn't help that they were all dressed as wild animals.

"Sorry about my mother," Lizzie said sheepishly. "She likes everything to be proper. She's actually the most severe on Ciel and Sebastian." This made Soma smile. "Be sure to complement her dress, won't you? She designed it herself and worked awfully hard on making the skirt look like a peacock's tail!"

"I will," Soma assured her.

They pelted through the door, where Ciel stood in the entrance hall, talking to Sebastian. They looked like they were discussing a very serious matter, which meant that Soma and Lizzie were naturally obliged to interrupt.

"Ciel!" Lizzie called, running forward to take Ciel's hands. "You look soooo cute!" She giggled as she twirled him in a fast circle. Soma beamed as he saw Ciel in a monochrome striped suit crowned with pointy ears stuck on a headband. _Lizzie's right,_ he thought as he joined their hug. _Little Ciel makes a very cute zebra_.

"T-that's enough!" Ciel gasped as he tried to wriggle free of both his fiancée and his self-proclaimed best friend with some difficulty. Lizzie took the folds of her skirt and spun around.

"What do you think of my outfit, Ciel? I'm a flamingo, can't you tell?"

"You look a picture, my Lady," Sebastian said politely. Soma hadn't realised he was dressed up at first because he was in his standard black, but on closer inspection Sebastian was wearing small round ears and a long thin tail. Soma guessed he was a panther. Surprisingly Sebastian actually looked happy to be dressed up by the way he swished his tail around. Lizzie gave him a grateful nod, but her eyes were still gazing at Ciel hopefully.

"Hmm? Oh, yes…" Ciel cleared his throat as he fiddled awkwardly with his 'ears'. "Lizzie, might I ask why we are dressed like this?" Lizzie laughed as if he had said something silly.

"Why, we're dressed as African animals, for the Prince's birthday!" She gave Soma a warm smile. "To show that England can be like your home. You'll begin to feel like it soon." Ciel raised his eyebrows while Sebastian smirked.

"Africa?" Soma laughed.

"Lizzie, Prince Soma isn't African." Lizzie's eyes widened with horror.

"But…Bengal..?"

"Is in India."

"…Right." Lizzie's entire face went crimson from embarrassment. She turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, did you know the prince was Indian when I asked you to collect some African trees?"

"I did, but I was unaware that it was your intention to recreate the prince's homeland." Lizzie put her head in her hands, ashamed.

"I'm so sorry, Prince! I thought… I wanted to… oh, it would be so useful if ladies could be taught geography!"

Soma was unoffended. He felt sorry for her. She had gone to a tremendous effort even if she had got the wrong country. _It would have been nice if someone had taken a moment to tell her I am from India. Does no-one tell her anything?_ He pulled her hands away from her face.

"Thank you for thinking of me. I've never felt so welcome here." He smiled. "I've always wanted to visit Africa, anyhow. It was very clever of you to know that without even knowing!"

This lifted Lizzie's spirits completely.

"Well, that's lucky!" She smiled like a squirrel that had found a lost acorn. "Now, let's head back to the ballroom." She took Ciel's arm. "Sebastian has made this trifle which tastes heavenly! I'm sure you'd like it, Ciel. Maybe we could dance the waltz again, hee hee! I'd love that."

Lizzie took Ciel back through the door, Sebastian following like a shadow. Soma watched them for a moment. _Lizzie certainly devotes herself to trying to make Ciel happy,_ he thought, a_s does Sebastian and all his other servants, as do Agni and I. You would think that there were enough people trying to cheer him up to clear some of the gloom…_

"My Priiiiince!" Soma turned round to see his giraffe approaching. "Lord Edward was wondering where you had gone," said Agni, pressing his palms together. "I was starting to wonder myself!"

"Lizzie and I just met up with Ciel. Poor Lizzie thought we were from Africa, hence the theme!" Agni chuckled, shaking his head in bemusement.

"I take it the Midfords are not a travelling family?"

"Maybe not, but still! I can't believe she hasn't been taught more about basic geography." Soma fidgeted with his 'mane'. Agni paused before replying.

"Women are often taught different skills to men," he said. "Perhaps because men are admired for intellect, strength and status, whilst women are admired for being presentable."

"Presentable, huh?" This didn't rest comfortably in Soma's mind. "So, simple things, like whether you are taught to tell India and Africa apart, are decided from…being born a boy or a girl?"

"Much of our fortune is predetermined."

"It isn't right."

"…No. It isn't."

Soma's mind drifted back to the day of the curry contest, that day when Mina told him how she really felt about being his servant.

"_Because I was born into a lower caste, I was forever doomed to be a servant. Sorry for not wanting to live my life bound to my social class!"_

His mind kept drifting until he reached the day after he met Ciel. Bored with watching Ciel drawing a bottle, he had suggested drawing a naked woman instead, before ordering Ciel's bashful maid to undress. The memory made his cheeks burn with shame. He was jolted out of his thoughts by this very maid, who came bursting through the door as clumsily as ever.

"M-Mister Agni!" she called frantically. "The mansion is coming under attack! Mister Sebastian told me to come and find you immediately!" Agni narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, Miss Maid!"

Soma made to follow her when Agni suddenly pushed him to the side and launched a kick over his shoulder. Soma turned to see a man dressed in white crumple to the floor, dropping a rope that he had been holding with both hands. The prince traced his neck with his fingers anxiously, disturbed that he had been one second away from being strangled without even realising his peril. Agni took his arm and pulled him through the door.

"Sebastian!" Agni called out. "There might be some already in the manor!"

The guests and servants were all gathered in the centre of the room, in a circle around Sebastian and Ciel. Sebastian gave Agni a dismissive wave and returned to addressing the guests in a remarkably calm voice.

"Consider this not an ambush, but a challenge, and a pretty poor one at that. There is no need to worry; a number of us are well-trained in dealing with these matters. For those of you less experienced when faced with this scenario, all you are required to do is retire to the west wing with His Lordship. For the rest of you…" He cast a look at his company. The Marchioness answered for him.

"Battle stations, everyone!"

Soma looked around. Lady Francis, Lizzie, Edward and their father Lord Alexis all dashed to the sword display on the wall and drew a blade each. Mey-Rin and Bardroy replenished their guns with bullets. Sebastian slipped his hand into his tailcoat pocket and pulled out some shiny silverware. Tanaka sipped his tea.

One of the doors swung open, nearly crashing against the wall. Lau sauntered in, looking faintly amused at the sight of everyone with a long-distance weapon looking ready to open fire on him.

"Am I a little late, Lord Earl?" He strolled across the hall as if the party was still at ease. Ran-Mao followed him, swinging her lethal clubs. Ciel pressed his brow with his thumb and index finger.

"A little. You do realise we are about to be attacked?"

"Well, there is no harm whatsoever in being fashionably late, whatever the occasion!" He laughed loudly at his own statement, seeming unaware of the looks of bewilderment of the entire circle. Ciel coughed slightly.

"Everyone who wants to take no part in the fighting, come with me. Sebastian has prepared us all tea and cakes in advance to have while we wait." His uncovered eye caught Soma's. "Prince, you should come too," he added in an undertone whilst everyone divided between fighters and non-fighters.

Soma looked over at Agni, who had removed his gloves and was unwinding his bandaged hand. The sight of his selfless servant made up his mind. He clenched his fists.

"No. I want to help." Ciel sighed like a father dealing with an unruly child.

"You wouldn't be of any use."

Ciel's words sent a jolt of hurt through Soma's heart. No use? What kind of person was he if he was _no use?_ He wanted to be useful more than he wanted to live. He was an adult now – it was about time he stepped up to his responsibilities. _If you can't protect your people, then you're a sorry excuse for a leader._ He stood his ground.

"I will help. There must be a way I can help."

Ciel looked at him with an almost pitying frown.

"Fine. If you want to do something, extinguish any flames you see. Candles, fireplaces, anything. If these turn out to be our arsonists, we might as well strike while the iron is hot." Soma nodded eagerly. Ciel held up his index finger. "Just remember; if you overestimate yourself and wind up in a position where you have to be rescued, then you are not being useful, you are being a hindrance." Soma grinned, linking his little finger around Ciel's outstretched index finger.

"Got it. Take care, little Ciel!"

"I wonder if you listened to anything I just said," Ciel replied in a monotone. He led the procession up to the west wing. He looked over his shoulder as he left. "Take care yourself," he muttered before disappearing among the following crowd.

Soma waited alongside the others with baited breath. Then eight windows smashed at once and all hell broke loose.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. **** Thank you for reading! Thank you to those who have reviewed too: feedback is always greatly appreciated :)**


	5. Reliance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

The swarm of men in white was not so much of an 'issue' as an infestation. They flooded through the doors and windows, holding up shields as Mey-Rin and Bardroy's bullets rained down on them. The way they poured in resembled an unstoppable avalanche. The frontmen marched forward, drawing their own weapons as more and more of their army flocked into the ballroom. Agni couldn't count how many there were, but he could see that the Phantomhive party was severely outnumbered. What concerned Agni most was how many were armed with _guns._

The party guests frantically ran for cover as the gunmen prepared to open fire on them. All except Sebastian and Agni; the former remained calmly where he was standing, while the latter lunged for Soma. Agni wrapped his arms around his master and propelled them away from the torrent of bullets about to be fired at them. He skirted round the side of one of Sebastian's miraculous African trees. He kept Soma tightly enfolded in his arms as shots blasted at every angle around them. Soma, all his bravado gone, gripped the front of Agni's costume and buried his head into his servant's chest.

Agni looked round at the others from their spot and was relieved to see that everyone had found a barrier of sorts to hide behind. Some of the objects they were taking refuge behind looked as if they had appeared out of nowhere; Agni could not remember there being so many statues in the hall earlier. He guessed Sebastian had – somehow – prepared in advance and strategically placed them on their side of the hall.

Remembering they had Sebastian by their side gave him some reassurance. He rubbed his master's back as if to try to transmit this reassurance to him wordlessly. Soma lifted his head to look back at him. Agni met his master's eyes, which were huge with terror, and a stab of anger coursed through him. His master was but a harmless young man. Why did so many people try to hurt him?

"Spread out, everyone!" Bard called out as he crouched behind a decorative suit of armour to avoid the bullets fired at him in retaliation. "We can't all face them head-on like this! We're easy pickings if we are all gathered in the same place."

"Is there anywhere we can move to?" Finny asked nervously from his hiding place behind a statue. From across the hall, Mey-Rin raised her twin pistols.

"Let's level the playing field," she hissed in a much lower voice than the one Agni was used to. With astonishing agility, she slid across the floor and aimed at least five low shots. A number of the gunmen fell from their leg and foot wounds.

"Atta girl," Bard breathed. He spotted the guns held weakly by the fallen gunmen's hands. "Anyone feelin' fast?"

Sebastian shot forward to the centre of the room to gather the weapons, faster than a bullet. Agni couldn't tell whether it was down to their enemy having bad aim, or Sebastian's sheer evasiveness, but his friend didn't take a single hit from the remaining gunmen. The butler threw the weapons to his fellow servants before zooming to the other side of the room, rushing straight into the thick of the fight.

Bard and Mey-Rin were locked in a stalemate with the opposing shooters, both sides concentrating on aiming at each other. This signalled those with close-range weapons, or in Agni's case his mere hands, to spread into the centre. Hearing the clanging of swords, Agni knew the Midford Four had started their counter-attack. He felt Soma pulling away from him.

"Agni," Soma said. "I have to protect the mansion. Ciel's house cannot go up in flames again." Agni was worried by this idea – he would much rather his master was kept in a safe place until the danger had passed. Soma's determined expression signalled he was not going to change his mind.

"I'll cover you." Soma shook his head.

"No. You're needed here – if you only protect me, then all I would be doing would be taking away one of our strongest fighters. I'd be… a hindrance, as Ciel said."

_My Prince, is now really the time to be concerned about being a hindrance? _Agni knew this was an order he would end up disobeying, but this one he would not feel a hint of guilt about.

"Please be careful, Your Highness. If you run into any trouble, call out for me and I'll be there."

Soma nodded and stood up. Agni felt sick with anxiety as he watched the eighteen-year-old scamper for the door. He took a deep breath and charged from his hiding place into view. Already at least seven of their attackers had spotted Soma and were hurtling across the hall towards him. All Agni could do was block their way and force them to attack him instead.

Agni had been blessed with great speed and even greater strength. He leapt squarely into the path of his master's pursuers and drew up to his full height. Shock registered on the faces of his new company for a second before they brandished their weapons. Swordsmen. Eight blades struck out at him. Eight blades missed and clanged into each other. Agni had spun out of the way and narrowed his eyes as he prepared his counter.

"…_one of our strongest fighters…"_

A familiar energy surged through Agni's right arm, as fluid as a rushing river. _You can rely on me, my Prince._

His opponents had barely registered what was going on when three dropped like flies, having been struck in the neck consecutively by the famed Right Hand of Kali. Blades frantically tried to strike him, but by that time Agni had launched himself high into the air. The bodyguard descended on them, swinging his foot in a wide circular move to kick his assailants in the head. All but one had been knocked out. The remaining man in white fled from him, out of his depth. Agni looked around the room. Soma was nowhere to be seen. Agni presumed he had successfully escaped the ballroom to carry out his mission.

Agni stooped down to feel the pulse of each of his unconscious opponents. As he expected, they were all alive. _Good._ He pulled several of the decorative vines down from the ceiling with a hard tug and used them to bind all the unconscious men together to prevent them trying to attack anyone again when they recovered. When they came round, they would have a lot of explaining to do.

Now Agni could get a proper look at them, he tried to identify the men in white. None of them looked familiar. Their ages appeared to range from their twenties to their forties. Despite their flashy white outfits, none of the men appeared to be particularly well looked after, their rough hands suggesting they were not upperclassmen. At that moment, more opponents came running towards him and he had to cease making observations for the time being.

Observations struck him anyway as swords, daggers and whips thrashed at him. _One,_ Agni thought as he grabbed the end of a whip which missed him and threw it over his head, along with the person holding it. _They have good weapons, but lack the skill to wield them. _He dodged a sword and slammed his hand into the solar plexus of its wielder. _Two, they are part of a large organisation of sorts, judging by their uniform._ Three men at once lunged for him, daggers held between their fingers like talons. He ducked, letting them fly over his head, before kicking all three of them with such force they were sent flying to the other side of the room._ Three, their limited skill suggests they are dispensable to their leader. Where is their leader?_

The sound of a door slamming threw Agni off focus. He looked round for Soma, but he couldn't see any sign of a lion across the hall. He barely turned round in time to block another swordsman. Another threw himself onto Agni's back, taking advantage of his opponent's split concentration. Agni spun as fast as he could to try to shake him off. A muscular arm locked around his neck, choking him of breath.

"DUCK!" yelled a voice, too young and upper-class to be an assailant. Agni obeyed as Lord Edward thrust his blade at his unfortunate choker. The man slid limply to the floor. Agni gave the young knight a nod of gratitude, but his eyes scanned the hall for his master. _Four, they consider my prince a particular target._

"Agni, isn't it? You're worried about Kadar – I mean, your prince, aren't you?" Agni nodded. "We can control things here. We're all coping well enough." They looked back at their company. Lord Edward's family whirled round their targets as if they were dancing, their swords striking their opponents with masterful precision. Sebastian was a black blur, taking out the invaders like a sweeping plague. Across the hall, Finny was guarding the other doors, blocking them by holding up the entire refreshment table. Lau wandered around idly as Ran-Mao swung her clubs at anyone attempting to go anywhere near him. "Go and make sure he's alright. We can manage."

"Thank you, Lord Edward." Agni turned and pelted out of the room into the main hall.

The hall was pitch black and Agni had to squint to see the stairs. He turned his head from side to side, trying to listen out for any action. He heard footsteps breaking into a run from upstairs, so he dashed up towards them, trying not to trip up the stairs. When he reached the landing, he turned to look down both directions of the corridor. The side leading to the west wing looked to be completely ignored. Agni couldn't help but think of what a strategic mind young Lord Ciel had. He turned to the other side and ran down the darkened corridor.

"_I have you, don't I?"_

Blue light flickered from Agni's right hand, lighting his way slightly. The light reflected the eyes of all the past lords and ladies of the Phantomhive estate, giving a sinister vibe which he tried to ignore. He thought in anguish of how frightened his prince must be, up here in the dark, unarmed, running from pursuers. The light left his hand. He kept running.

A crashing sound from further down the corridor made Agni quicken his pace to a speed he didn't know was possible. He heard a door swing open. His vision returned as moonlight shone from a window through the opened door. As he dashed towards the door, he heard Soma shout in a desperate voice.

"Why are you doing this? Just tell me why!"

Agni turned the corner to see Soma cornered by the moonlit window. Three men who dwarfed his master were moving in on him.

"My Prince!" Agni called out. This drew the attention of one of the men, who turned to face him off. This man was stronger than the others Agni had fought so far. The bodyguard had to dodge some well-aimed punches before landing a knifehand to the assailant's throat. Meanwhile, another of the men stepped forward towards Soma.

"You wouldn't understand," the man hissed. "A prince, are you? A stupid brat who does nothing but leeches off those who _do _work? You think you're better than everyone because you were born lucky."

"Please," Soma begged. "I don't think that, not any more. Everyone deserves to live comfortably, I agree with you!" The man scoffed, drawing a small dagger.

"And yet," he said bitterly. "You think this and you _still_ use your social position to your advantage. You make me sick!" He took another step towards Soma, then suddenly stumbled back. Soma shakily drew back his fist, having punched his adversary in the face. The other man cracked his knuckles.

"You could use a little roughening up," he leered. Agni walked up behind him silently. "Consider it… for your own good!"

The man raised his hand, ready to strike the prince. The action caused Agni to see red. He launched himself in front of Soma, grabbed the man's raised hand hard around the fingers and lifted him off the ground. The man squirmed like a worm hooked on a fishing line, moaning in pain as Agni clenched his fingers harder.

Agni glared at him with sheer loathing. He too had once nearly struck Soma, rationalising it by thinking it would be 'for his own good' to spare him the long-term emotional pain of realising Mina's hatred towards him, even if it meant dealing him a short moment of physical pain. Naturally he had been wrong; he had only succeeded in frightening his master and making him temporarily lose his faith in him. That had been the most painful week of Agni's life. The man struggled, desperately trying to free himself.

"You _pagaal._ How can hurting my prince _ever _be for his own good?!"

"Agni!" Agni looked over his arm to see Soma watching the struggling man with a horrified expression. Agni's rage seeped away. He lowered the man back to the floor. He immediately gripped the man by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. To his astonishment, the man was _laughing._ Soma stepped out from behind Agni, looking as confused as Agni felt. The man grinned at Agni as he massaged his damaged fingers.

"You're strong. One of the strongest men I've met."

Agni narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"So _you _are this brat's _servant_?" Agni slowly nodded. The man gave a leering smile. "You are more powerful than him, yet you are not. Don't you feel just that tiniest bit exploited?"

"No." This was met by more laughter.

"Are you even going to let me tell you why you're being exploited?"

"It doesn't matter what you tell me," Agni said firmly. "The day I became my prince's servant was the day I was saved. Before we met, I had no purpose in life, and now I'm walking the path the gods meant for me." In spite of the circumstances, a warm smile spread across his face. "If you knew of my master's purity and radiance, I think you would understand. Prince Soma doesn't exploit me – he gives me more than I deserve. Being able to serve him gives me more happiness than any 'power' could, or whatever it is you think I should be seeking."

"Oh dear. I see you've been well and truly brainwashed." The man jabbed a finger in Soma's direction. "'Radiance' – are we still talking about this runt? Can't you see he's tricked you into respecting him to a divine level? Don't you realise it's ridiculous to think that any scum who walks on Earth should be treated like a god?!"

Agni's response was to simply pick him up. The man's legs flailed as the bodyguard bunched him unceremoniously under one arm.

"Instead of letting you ask me any more questions, we shall take you downstairs to answer some of our own."

"Stop!" Soma cried suddenly. Agni looked at him in surprise before realising Soma was addressing the other man he had punched earlier, who was approaching Agni, dagger drawn. Soma darted round Agni and delivered a roundhouse kick to the assailant's chest. The prince winced and stumbled back, clutching his foot. The dagger fell from the man's hand as he careened backwards, winded.

Agni pressed his finger hard against his captive's temple, inducing a fainting spell. He flew to his master's side.

"My Prince, are you alright?" Soma bit his lip and nodded. Agni gently took Soma's foot in his hands, inspecting the damage. There was a long cut along the sole of his foot, which had blood beading from it, but was otherwise not seriously deep. Agni presumed Soma had nicked his foot slightly on the dagger when he kicked its wielder. "We'll wrap it up downstairs. I imagine the fight is nearly over. Do you think you can walk on it, or would you like me to carry you?" Soma gave him a smile.

"I think I can manage. If you end up having to carry me one more time today, I'll become like one of those fair maidens from the Old English fairy tales! No, I'll get far more entertainment from watching you carry these two downstairs." Agni smiled.

"Very well." He walked back to where his first captive lay slumped on the floor and slung the motionless man over his shoulder. His comrade sat up, looking dazed. Agni reached over and tucked the conscious man under his spare arm.

"You can assist us in our inquiries too." He turned back to his master. "How many lights do you still need to extinguish?"

"Um… I think just through the corridors to the east wing." Agni smiled at him.

"You did your job nearly too well, my Prince. I had to rely mostly on my ears to find you."

Soma grinned, looking pleased with himself. Then a worried look crossed his face.

"You weren't urgently needed, were you? I did say stay where you were needed."

"Mister Sebastian and the others had everything under control," Agni assured him. He considered whether he should tell Soma that he was worried for his safety, but he decided Soma wouldn't be pleased to hear that. "I saw some of our adversaries leave the ballroom and pursued them."

With both invaders in hand, Agni followed Soma through to each room, the prince extinguishing each flame they saw. Agni noticed his master was walking in an awkward way, hissing quietly through his teeth each time he put his right foot down.

"Are you sure you're alright, my Prince?" Soma stopped, taking a deep breath.

"I might lean on you to walk," he admitted. Agni smiled and offered Soma the crook of his arm, which was still holding one of the men. Soma linked his hand through his servant's arm and leant against him as he limped along. Their conscious captive, who had given up trying to struggle free, mumbled something about it looking funny for a man to walk arm-in-arm with another man. Agni looked under his arm to give him a good-natured smile.

"It isn't so strange in context."

"That's what they always say," the captive mumbled darkly.

* * *

><p>Once they had taken away the light from every room and corridor, Agni and Soma re-entered the ballroom. The fight had quelled to only a few active opponents hopelessly trying to shoot Sebastian's blurry form. All the defeated enemies had been stacked in the middle of the room in an orderly pile. From his distance, Agni could not tell whether any were dead rather than unconscious. They walked over to the pile and dropped the two captives next to their comrades. Bard walked over to them, lighting one of his trademark cigarettes.<p>

"Hey, you two. You alright?" He looked at their interlinked arms. "I'm not gonna ask."

Agni looked down at the floor bashfully. Soma on the other hand chuckled as if Bard had told him a hilarious joke.

"If you don't ask though, you won't know!" He straightened up proudly. "I cut my foot on a dagger when saving Agni!" he announced dramatically. Bard raised an eyebrow.

"You saved him instead of vice-versa? Well, I'll be."

Soma hopped on one foot and showed Bard his cut. Bard looked at it indifferently. Agni imagined the chef had seen far worse injuries, though he had never wanted to pry into what was probably a painful experience for the ex-soldier.

"I'll go get some bandages. Everyone got a little beat-up, except Sebastian of course." He looked at Agni's bare right hand. "You want some too, right?" Agni nodded.

Sebastian approached them after Bard had left. He looked exactly the same as he had before the fight. For all the damage he had received, he could have been making a cup of tea for Lord Ciel.

"I hope you're both in one piece. It might be for the best if you two and the others evacuate the manor now, so that the Young Master and I can proceed with our… inquiries. I have all the carriages summoned in advance and they are waiting outside. You've been very helpful today."

Soma gave the happiest smile Agni had seen on him all day. Agni felt affection for his master strike him like nothing else had that evening. Warmth prickled at his right hand, which he swiftly hid behind his back. He was relieved when Bard returned with the bandages. He wound them tightly round his hand, concealing its emotional energy for yet another night.

* * *

><p>At midnight, Agni quietly opened to door to the prince's bedroom. His days usually ended with him drawing the curtains Soma always left spread wide open, then adjusting the prince's duvet. Soma had a habit of throwing the duvet off the top half of his body in his sleep. Tonight though, his master was wide awake when he came in. Soma propped his chin up on one elbow.<p>

"Does your day never end?"

"It can be long, but I don't mind," Agni answered with a smile. "I'll be turning in soon, don't worry. We have another busy day tomorrow. Since today's events Mister Sebastian has advised we… adjust to the situation. I am told we are to receive a 'briefing' tomorrow at lunch." Soma grinned.

"That sounds like serious business. We're like spies on some kind of mission!"

"That's one way of looking at it." Agni circled the room to shut away the moonlight.

"Agni, what are you holding?"

"Oh." Agni held out three oddly-shaped, but neatly wrapped parcels. "These are for you. There wasn't a moment spare during the day when I could give them to you." Soma jumped up excitedly on his mattress as Agni placed them on his bed, like an offering at an altar.

"You got these for me?"

"Yes." Agni realised they were the first tangible presents – aside from Lau's needle – that the prince had received that day. Soma picked up the long, straight one first. He tore off the wrapping paper and unveiled a sleek wooden cricket bat. His eyes seemed to light up in the dark.

"Splendid! I've been itching to play another game of cricket since leaving Weston! Will you play with me, Agni?"

"I've never played before, but if you would like me to practice with you then-" Agni flinched as Soma climbed to his feet and swung his new bat excitedly. "…I'd be happy to join you, though maybe not at this time of night." He carefully pushed Soma back down onto his mattress. Soma pouted as if annoyed, then grinned as he remembered the other gifts waiting for him. He unwrapped the softer parcel. A striped silk scarf slipped into his hand. "Nice," he whispered. "What colours are there? It's hard to see in this light."

"Seven rainbow colours, my Prince." Soma beamed, rubbing the scarf between his hands.

"Excellent. There's something divine about a rainbow, isn't there? And now I can wear one." He looked at the smallest parcel with curiosity before peeling off the wrapping paper with unusual care. He held up its contents, a small golden charm bracelet, in his palm. He looked at each charm one by one – a sun symbol, a moon linked to the stars, a strangely shaped one that on closer inspection was moulded to be a soma plant, and one other design. Judging by Soma's expression, Agni guessed he did not recognise the last charm.

"It's a four-leaf clover," he explained. "They are said to bring good luck here." Soma looked up at him, wide-eyed. Agni closed his eyes. A line of stress appeared between his eyebrows. "I wish for your luck to improve more than anything, Lord Soma."

"…Thank you," Soma replied softly. He looked back at the charm. "Though… to tell you the truth… I think I am lucky." Agni opened his eyes. His master was speaking with a seriousness that could rival Lord Ciel's. Soma cradled the bracelet in his hand. "I just think I'm only just realising how."

Neither said another word for about a minute. Then Agni cleared his throat.

"Like I said, tomorrow – rather, later on today is going to bring new challenges. We will be best prepared for them if we are well-rested." Soma lay down obediently on his mattress. Agni pulled the duvet over his master and tucked the edge under his chin. "Goodnight, my Prince," he whispered, his low voice softening his tone even more. Soma murmured a 'goodnight' back before closing his eyes and drifting off instantly. Agni smiled warmly as he silently closed the door behind him. Such a high abundance of energy could only be maintained for so long. At the end of the day, Soma was often more tired than he let on.

Feeling his knees quivering slightly as he walked down the corridor to his quarters downstairs, Agni had to admit that he too was nearer exhaustion than he cared to show. Arshad would have been left with a sinking feeling on thinking of his late nights paired with his early starts, but Agni relished each day. Sometimes he woke up in the morning wondering if his life was an extended post-mortem dream. Each time he would remember he would be spending another day serving Soma, and the promise it brought would reappear to him. Two lives which would only get better from now on, with each other's help. A warm future. A daytime moon.

**A/N: The longest chapter yet! I love writing action scenes :)**** Soma has yet to get a fight scene in the manga, but he's shown to be reasonably competent at defending himself in the anime, at least for a human with no special powers. His strength seems to vary per adaptation. Soma and Agni appeared for about three minutes in the first musical, and during that time Soma's a little ninja XD**


	6. Contact

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

* * *

><p>At midmorning the next day, Soma skipped into the living room, dressed in his sparring robes. It was a spacious room; Soma reckoned it was big enough to play a game of cricket inside and only smash a few vases. Agni had pushed the furniture back against the walls, creating an expanse of bare floor in the centre. When he saw Soma, he smiled and bowed.<p>

"Are you ready to practice?" Soma grinned and clapped his hands.

"Yeah. By the end of today, we'll be invincible!" Agni chuckled as he walked towards him.

"Now, my prince," he said, his hands pressed together. "Considering the current position we are in, it is very important that I train you to defend yourself sufficiently. Training is ideally not supposed to be rushed, but-"

"I need a crash course in fighting, in case we get attacked again very soon?" Soma suggested.

"…Yes, you need to pick up some essential skills in the quickest amount of time." Agni smiled at him reassuringly. "You are coming along well though, Lord Soma. You can punch and kick with accuracy." His smile fell as he looked down. Soma followed his gaze to his bandaged right foot. "I hope your wound isn't hurting you."

Soma stretched it out in front of him. He considered telling Agni it was very painful – a weak part of him wanted his servant to fuss over him. No one doted on him better than Agni and he couldn't help but feel treasured when his companion worried about him with genuine concern. He mentally scolded himself for even thinking this. _Ciel would think wanting attention childish. What would Ciel do? _He remembered that night when Ciel had returned to the townhouse, coughing and burning with fever… and how he had to command Agni to forcibly stop him leaving immediately afterwards. _Brave. Gentlemen are brave._

"No, it's okay. It's a scratch at worst." Soma gave his servant a grin which felt almost too large for his face. He sat down cross-legged on the floor. "Besides, there isn't enough time to dilly-dally. I'm all ears, Agni." Agni smiled back, though there was a wary look in his eyes.

"Today, I think we shall look at other skills aside from the usual striking. Everyone can learn to fight, but often we need to try different techniques to see what suits us best. Some people are solid and can take many hits. Others need to dodge because one knock will render them damaged." Agni's eyes scanned his master from head to toe. "As you have a rather slight build, my prince, brute force might not be the most effective strategy. Our opponents yesterday, for example, had a height and weight advantage over you."

"So, no matter how much I train, the burly fellows will have the advantage?" asked Soma, disappointed. Agni shook his head.

"Not necessarily – only if you try to take them on using force alone. If you use techniques that don't rely on having more strength than your opponent, they will hopefully be _disadvantaged._" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "As much as I can, I'll protect you from anything, but… if there is ever a time when, for whatever reason, I can't immediately reach you… a few self-defence skills could make a vast difference."

Soma nodded. Agni turned and walked over to the furniture. He gathered up cushions in his arms as he spoke.

"In this session, we shall focus on a particularly effective technique: pressure points." Soma leant forward, interested. "No matter how strong or tough an opponent is, if you find a point of sensitivity, they can be overpowered."

"Gotcha," Soma said with a grin. He watched as Agni dropped the cushions one by one in a circle around him. It intrigued him how his attendant seemed to perform every single action he made with care, even when it was a move as simple as dropping cushions. Agni turned his attention back to Soma, having formed a ring of cushions around them. Soma recognised this as Agni's way of padding the floor to soften their inevitable falls in practice. Or more accurately, _his _inevitable falls.

"There are many places on the body which are sensitive. How to demonstrate…" Agni paused as if considering an option. "May I show them on you, my prince? It could help you remember them better when you know where they are on your own body." Soma stood up and spread his arms wide.

"Go on then!" he said cheerfully. As Agni stepped towards him, Soma wagged a finger at him teasingly. "Though be careful, I don't want you to make me pass out or anything."

"I'll be careful," Agni said with a smile. Soma opened his arms again. Agni lightly pressed a finger to Soma's temple.

"The side of the forehead is very sensitive," he said. "Hitting it at the right angle can cause your opponent to lose consciousness." He smiled and gently pushed Soma's head back with his other fingers. "I wouldn't lean into my hand, my prince. I will be able to teach you far more efficiently if you are awake for my demonstration."

Soma jerked away as if he had received a friction burn. Had he really been leaning into Agni's touch? Agni didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he wasn't letting on. His hand slipped down to softly trace Soma's neck.

"The neck is another tender area. I do not know the biology behind it, but there are veins which can be targeted to cause unconsciousness."

"Where are they?"

Before Soma could brace himself, Agni had moved his fingers to rest over the spot where Soma could feel his own pulse throbbing. Soma felt his face heat up. Suddenly he felt very uncomfortable.

"Here, I believe, is the easiest artery to find." Agni frowned. "Your pulse is very quick, Lord Soma. Is it usually this fast?" Soma shrugged and grinned, elaborately easy-going.

"Perhaps it's because you're one centimetre away from knocking me out?" Agni smiled apologetically and withdrew his hand.

"Forgive me for making you feel nervous. This is a vital practice though, which you will benefit from learning. We shall practice finding them on me instead, if it makes you more comfortable."

For some reason, Soma didn't think this would make him much more comfortable, but he internally urged himself to get it together. Since when had he been touch-sensitive to his attendant? He reasoned that it was the unfamiliarity of this type of contact which was causing him to clam up. Agni stood in an open stance, seeming completely oblivious.

"Can you remember what I have just taught you?" Soma paused before trying to reach up to find Agni's temple. Agni laughed as his master jumped and missed. "It is a hard target to reach on someone like me. Luckily, your opponents are unlikely to be my height. Not to worry, we shall look at points you will be able to reach more easily." He held out his arm. "The forearm is a useful target and not a place people think would be sensitive. Apply enough pressure, and you can inflict a spasm or even cause the arm to go numb."

Soma took Agni's left arm and gripped it between his hands. He frowned as he squeezed just above the crevice to limited effect.

"I never thought I'd be saying this, but your arm is too muscular for its own good," he complained. Agni chuckled.

"Thank you for that observation, my prince, but that actually makes your task easier. Try pinching a little; it's a sharper action and can catch your-" He winced and recoiled as Soma dug his fingers under his muscles. Soma released him immediately.

"Sorry!"

"I-It's alright. You don't have to apologise to me, I am your servant."

"Yes I do," Soma replied simply. Agni raised his eyebrows. It saddened Soma that Agni seemed surprised. Servants were people too, after all, who could be hurt just as easily as whoever they were serving.

"Well, that's very kind of you." Agni rubbed his arm and mustered a smile. "What I was saying before was, you can catch your enemy off-guard. No one expects the smallest actions to cause so much shock. That is how you can cause an impact that your target hasn't even thought to defend himself from."

"…Quite." Somehow, these words made Soma relax. "So, are there any others?" Agni patted his front.

"There are many weak points on the torso – the sternum, ribs, sides, centre… really, if you manage to strike their torso, they are in trouble." He shook his head. "Naturally, that is why landing a hit is difficult, because it is human instinct to protect the vulnerable areas. Learning the pressure points on the hands and feet can break down this defence though."

Agni held out his hand to Soma. Soma looked at the outstretched hand unsurely before taking hold of it. This moment of contact soothed and stunned Soma at the same time. His khansama was a warm and gentle man and somehow, holding his hand made Soma feel closer to this warmth and gentleness. The prince felt like he had just discovered an attractive idea had a physical presence. His thoughts clouded over as this connection became the only element of the space around him he was aware of. Almost.

The rational question still broke through the haze: why did Agni want to hold hands? This question was answered when Agni twisted his wrist so that the back of his hand was facing Soma.

"The back of the hand is usually exposed when an opponent tries to punch or strangle you," Agni explained. "Do you see the structure of the bones leading to the knuckles?" He seemed oblivious to the fact that Soma was not concentrating on the structure of his hand so much as the action of them holding hands. "Well," Agni continued. "The hand usually appears to be strong, but if you strike the centre sharply… my prince, are you listening?"

Soma was jolted out of his daze. He looked up at Agni as if he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. Agni laughed, as patient as ever.

"You do seem distracted today. Let us take a break for an hour or so. Perhaps you would like to give your foot a rest, your highness."

"No… we can continue." Soma thumped the side of his head as if to wake himself up. "I really am listening, Agni."

At that moment, the door clicked open. Ciel walked in, with Sebastian just behind him as always. The young boy looked around disdainfully at the moved furniture.

"What _are _you doing?" he asked with a hint of annoyed confusion in his voice. Meanwhile, Sebastian's attention was drawn to Soma and Agni's entwined hands.

"I assume there is a context?" he said with a small smirk.

"Self-defence training," Agni replied with an indifferent smile. "Pressure points."

"Ah, I see. A good idea, considering the circumstances." Sebastian's tone was of utmost politeness, but Soma was not convinced of his sincerity. The butler smoothed out his white gloves. "Learning how to locate the human weaknesses must be very useful indeed."

Soma felt a chill rush down his spine like icy water. A memory of Sebastian returned to him… a memory of himself ordering Agni to defeat Sebastian and Ciel when they had first met. No matter how many times Agni struck Sebastian's 'pressure points', he had not been able to induce numbness in any part of the dark-haired man's body. Sebastian had no weak points.

Sebastian lacked all human vulnerability.

The fact that Sebastian was now describing their lesson as being 'very useful' made Soma come to the conclusion that Sebastian was subtly insulting Agni's training technique. He felt defensive of his khansama. _Does Sebastian think we don't know when we are being patronised?_

"They work," Soma insisted. "They should work on _everyone_, including you!"

"What a wonderful idea, my prince!" Agni cheered. Soma turned his head to look at him, confused. "Lord Ciel and Mister Sebastian can join us and learn too! How very generous-spirited you are."

Soma felt slightly deflated as he had to come to the conclusion that Agni didn't know when they were being patronised. Still, a part of him was relieved that Agni didn't seem to read between the lines. If he did… today's lesson could have been even more awkward than it was already.

Agni spread the cushions out to surround all four of them. Ciel let out a reluctant sigh as he came to join Soma. Soma was surprised but pleased that he was joining in. He beamed at his younger friend. Ciel folded his arms and kicked at a cushion. Agni bowed to Ciel and Sebastian.

"I think we shall move on to experiment with take-down techniques," he said with a smile. "They might be _more useful_ to you." Soma was starting to consider Agni not being quite as oblivious as he had thought when his servant called him away from his thoughts yet again. "Prince Soma, may I ask for your help with this demonstration?"

"Oh? Um, yes, you may." Soma overheard Sebastian and Ciel muttering in hushed voices to each other. The only snippet he caught was 'concentration span', but that was enough to guess the rest. He clenched his fists and urged himself to focus, if only to not let Agni down. The prince stood opposite his attendant and adopted a fighting stance.

"There are many ways to bring your opponent to the floor," Agni started in his calm way. "This might be of particular use to you, Lord Ciel, as you are… well, you're still a child." He gave Ciel a fond smile, which the earl did not return. "The smoothest way is the 'foot-sweep', in which you can make your attacker lose their balance by sliding your foot into theirs."

"In other words, tripping them up?" Ciel suggested. He sounded unimpressed. Agni just laughed.

"Effectively, but this is more methodical, hopefully! Now, I shall make as if to attack my prince. He will of course defend himself and defeat me." He looked back at Soma as if to check he was concentrating. Soma pounded his fists together to demonstrate he needn't have worried.

Agni took a step towards Soma and aimed a cautious high kick in his direction. Soma easily dodged around him and stepped to face Agni's back. _His foot… sweep away his foot…_ _it should be easy, he's unbalanced._ He tried to drive his foot into Agni's back heel. He winced as he just ended up stubbing his toe.

Agni looked at his from over his shoulder, concerned. Soma brushed his fringe away from his eyes and tried again. He hooked his foot around Agni's ankle and gave a hard tug. The exaggerated way his servant came crashing to the floor signalled to Soma that Agni had faked falling. He looked down at his attendant, who was lying on his back on the floor. He glimpsed the worried look that was still in those grey eyes before Agni closed them, smiling.

"That is how the foot-sweep works, Lord Ciel!"

"Can you show me again?" Ciel asked sceptically. Soma could understand him thinking it was an inadequate demonstration. No one else he would come across would fall for him. Only Agni would fall for him.

"This time I'll attack you, Agni. Then _you _take me down. It might clear things up for Ciel." Agni opened his eyes, but Soma looked away before he could meet their hopeless concern again. He hung his head, feeling incompetent.

Agni climbed to his feet and gestured for Soma to come at him. Soma lunged to fire a jumping kick at him. Agni dropped to his knee to let Soma soar over his back. Soma landed, turned and threw a punch with each fist. His servant caught hold of both of his wrists and swept away his feet. Soma shut his eyes and braced himself for the impact of the cushion-covered floor. It never came.

He opened his eyes. Agni had an arm cradling his back, holding him up from the floor. He still had one of Soma's wrists enclosed in his hand. Soma's stomach went tight as he took in their position. His servant was so _strong._ He could easily overpower Soma if he wanted to. Soma mused over the idea that Agni's only weakness was _him._

"Prince?" Soma turned his head to Ciel, who was watching them, a thoughtful frown on his face. Soma forced himself to snap back to normal …whatever 'normal' was in this context. He gave his most confident smile.

"And that, Ciel, is how you overpower your enemies!"

"By tripping them up and forcing them to dance with you?" Soma laughed.

"Exactly," he said with a wink. He rocked back on Agni's arm and propelled himself to his feet. He jokingly took Agni by the hands and pretended to slow-dance with him. "You see Agni, no matter how amazing a fighter you are, whoever forces you to dance has the upper hand. So really, that makes me invincible!" Agni smiled and allowed Soma to twirl him around.

"That's right," he said softly. Ciel cleared his throat. He did not appear amused by their silliness.

"Shall we have lunch?" Soma released Agni to let him go with Sebastian to prepare lunch. Soma watched them leave, smiling. Ciel looked up at him. "Prince, we questioned the men you and Agni caught last night."

"Hmm?" Soma walked over to a settee and flopped down carelessly. "What did you find out?" Ciel took a seat on an armchair opposite him.

"I'll go into detail over lunch. Your ridiculous dancing reminded me of something one of the men said." Soma cocked his head, curious. "The man you brought back conscious alluded to you and Agni being rather… close." Soma grinned.

"Well, we are! What's the harm in that?"

"He described the pair of you as… _suspiciously _close." Soma blinked in confusion.

"I don't know what he means, Ciel." Ciel sighed.

"I assumed you wouldn't. I have received similar comments about Sebastian being close to me. Those from poorer backgrounds seem to find the concept of a man who lives to serve you very odd." Ciel leant forward. "This is just a word of advice: you have to be careful of who you show your displays in front of. Not everyone will understand that you are able to fool around with your butler as you do. You might convey the wrong idea."

"What idea, Ciel?" Ciel raised his eyebrows. They knitted back together as he shook his head.

"If you don't know, we shall leave it at that. If you were in danger of conveying the wrong idea, you would know what it was. I for one am not going to explain it if I can possibly get away with it."

Soma leant back on the settee, supporting his head with his hands. The wrong idea? How could anyone think the way he and Agni interacted with each other was wrong? _There is a fine line between 'close' and 'suspiciously close'. Where does it start to become suspicious?_

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><p><strong>AN: Agni would make an awesome martial arts instructor XD I had to look up where exactly the vital pressure points are to write this chapter – there are more than I've mentioned in this story, but listing them all would have made a very long training session. My knowledge in this field is very limited, so I'm sorry if I have made any mistakes. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)**


	7. Trust

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

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><p>"The Crystal Palace, huh?" Soma looked out of the carriage window. "What does Ciel think we will find there?"<p>

Agni looked up from his hands. It amused him that his master so enthusiastically took on tasks and only asked for the purpose of said tasks _after _he had agreed to help.

"The area outside the Crystal Palace is an ideal location for traders," Agni answered. "Traders frequently travel across the country and are usually well-informed of the dealings and goings-on of each city they trade at. Talking to them might leave us better informed about the organisation involved in the arson offences of late." It was a rather menial task, Agni had to conclude, but he understood that Lord Ciel was very responsible when it came to his work, so he would not involve them in a task which could badly hinder the investigation should they make a mistake. Soma shifted to sit cross-legged on his seat.

"So, the men from yesterday _were _linked to the arsonists?"

Agni blinked.

"Well, yes, they were. Mister Sebastian questioned them last night and they eventually confessed to being…" He smiled when it dawned on him. "My prince, Lord Ciel explained all of this at lunch. Were you not listening?"

Soma opened his mouth as if to protest, but no word left him. He pressed his lips back together, his cheeks turning red. Agni laughed lightly.

"How distracted you are today! Usually you hang onto Lord Ciel's every word."

"I –I'm not distracted!" Soma crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'm just too aware of everything else around me!"

Agni raised his eyebrows.

"Everything else, hmm?" He leant forward in his seat, resting his forearms on his knees. "What might be affecting your concentration, my prince?"

Soma didn't answer for a moment. His eyes were cast down to the carriage floor. Eventually he looked up at Agni and shrugged.

"There's just a lot going on," he said.

_He's lying. _Agni at once felt ashamed of this thought even entering his mind_. _It was outrageous not to have faith in his personal god. He sat back in his seat. What could possibly be on his poor prince's mind that he didn't feel he could tell him about? His master was usually so honest, often to the point of being more honest than he was polite. He watched the eighteen-year-old thoughtfully. The way Soma sat with crossed arms and crossed legs made him seem small in Agni's eyes, like a child he felt an urge to protect. Agni tilted his head to the side as he considered this.

"Yes, I suppose there is." It pained Agni to see his master looking troubled. He decided that he didn't care what the problem was, he just wanted Soma to feel relaxed again. "Though remember, if there is anything disturbing you, you can talk to me about it."

Agni could see the doubt in his master's eyes. This stung him. Perhaps they weren't as close as he had thought? He scolded himself internally for making such as an assumption – they were as close as Soma wanted them to be, and he should not mind how close this was. Soma looked thoughtful for a moment before laughing. It was the type of fake laughter one might use to dismiss the effect of embarrassment.

"Agni, _it's fine._ Some things don't even need talking about! Look, if you're worried about me not paying attention, I will from now on!"

"Just understand that there is no problem too big or too small. Whatever it is, your highness, I am always at your service."

Soma gave a small smile. Agni was relieved it was a real one.

"Thank you."

For the rest of the journey, Soma chatted away trivially as he pointed out all the buildings they were passing. Agni looked down at his hands in his lap again. Sometimes he felt like no amount of good could make up for the bad, so long as the bad existed. Even though he devoted all his time to serving Soma, it didn't take away the fact that Soma's parents didn't even try to spend time with the prince. Even though Agni viewed him as a perfect deity, many others dismissed him as yet another brat that they didn't have time for.

Agni couldn't make up for the rest of the world. He wasn't everything to Soma. Still, his master had told him not to worry, so he should obey this instruction like any other order.

Yet he could not deny it: he _was_ worried. Whatever was distracting Soma, it was stopping him from concentrating on essential subjects, such as their very mission and learning to defend himself. Agni thought back to their training session and felt the beginnings of a headache. They would have to have another very soon. It was dawning on Agni that no matter how strong he was, no matter what gods they had on their side, Soma's safety relied a lot on Soma himself. Agni reminded himself sharply that he had to trust his master. He had to. _Yet… what if my prince is trapped in a situation where I can't be there for him? He is a reasonable fighter, but impossibly powerful people like Mister Sebastian exist out there. What should I do?_

The answer came to him immediately: _always be there for him, without fail._

The carriage slowed to a halt. Agni climbed out and held the door open for his master to follow. The huge glass palace stood before them. Sunlight shone through its panels. Surrounding the palace was a plaza, where crowds of people were gathered. It was a noisy, excitable atmosphere. Soma clapped his hands together happily.

"It's nice here!" He had to shout over the volume of the bustling crowds. "I very much liked coming here last time. There's lots of people around – is there an exhibition on?" He smiled back at Agni. "This time, perhaps we will be able to enjoy it together."

Agni peered through the glass. Their location brought back two of his worst and best memories. Seeing his master strolling around cheerfully made him decide to mention neither. He looked down at Soma and nodded.

"I would love to, but we must remember our task set by Lord Ciel."

"Of course, I did mean _afterwards,"_ Soma laughed. "I'm not such a scatterbrain as to immediately forget what we are supposed to be doing."

Agni smiled with a small shake of his head. He turned his attention to the plaza. Traders were plentiful and popular, with several small crowds gathered at certain corners near the entrance. Agni had to wonder whether what they were doing was legal, but none of the Crystal Palace guards were doing anything to stop them. The pair approached one of the least crowded stalls, where a moustached man was unsuccessfully trying to sell fish.

"Excuse us, sir…?"

The man glanced up. He looked alarmed at the sight of them. Agni cleared his throat.

"I hope your travels have been safe and profitable. We have heard several cases of late." He paused for breath, but Soma cut across in his more blunt fashion.

"You see, we want to know-"

"You two have to be more careful!" The trader was now looking around nervously.

"Why?" asked Soma, bewildered. Agni followed the trader's gaze and realised that quite a few of the surrounding crowds were staring at them and murmuring.

"Just... you're not from around here, are you? Then it makes sense that you haven't heard about _the incident._" He lowered his voice. "A little while back – earlier this year – something happened. Something which suggests that someone around here really, _really _doesn't like Indians."

The whole plaza had gone silent. Agni suddenly felt the chill in the air which had seemingly descended on their conversation. All he wanted to do was steer Soma away and leave this place. His prince, on the other hand, had other ideas.

"What happened?" Soma pressed him.

"My prince, I'm not sure-" Soma held a hand up to silence him. He had his eyes trained on the trader, who coughed, unnerved. He pointed down one of the alleyways.

"There. That was where it happened. No one knows when: all anyone knows is that they were found dead, the day after the Queen last visited the Crystal Palace."

Agni could not supress the gasp that escaped his lips. Soma turned to him.

"The day of the curry contest?"

Agni nodded wordlessly. The moustached man paled.

"Curry, you say? Oh dear, the poor thing - that explains why she was there. You Indians love your curry, don't you?"

"_She_?"

"Yes – they found an Indian woman, bludgeoned to death alongside her British husband. Her face and body were battered severely, but she looked like she could have been a pretty little thing."

Agni clapped a hand over his mouth. His body started shaking uncontrollably. _Mina – it could only be her. Mina, the servant considered to be the most beautiful woman back at the palace, bludgeoned to death in an alleyway. _He bit down on his tongue to supress the tears of fear and horror that were threatening to well at his eyes. The last sight of her flashed in his mind – of her looking healthier and harsher than she had ever looked back in India. That was only earlier that day! _How could she have wound up murdered, this woman, who my prince loved more than the rest of the palace combined – oh, my prince!_

Soma stood still as a statue, staring at the bringer of this news. By now, a heavy silence loomed in the air. The prince's hands were clenched into fists so firm that his knuckles were turning white, before he let them fall weakly at his sides. Agni forced himself to at least resemble the strong pillar he was obliged to be. He touched Soma's shoulder with his hand as still as he could make it. Soma shrugged his hand away.

"Thank you for informing us of the situation," he said. Agni felt a jolt of panic at his master's voice. He recognised this tone, which Soma had used only once before, when bottling up his pain to rigidly thank Mina and wish her well. This tone, quiet and hollow, which attempted to sound even and calm, yet slipped on certain syllables to give away how it was on the verge of breaking point. Soma turned round slowly, as if he were sleepwalking, disturbingly surreal. "Come… come, Agni. Let us…"

Soma took a few shaky steps forward before swaying loosely on the spot. Agni reached for him, worried that he might faint, but his master then yanked himself upright and broke into a staggered run. The prince skirted round the gathering crowds and fled towards the alleyway the trader had marked as Mina's last location. Agni hurried after him, his stomach tying itself in knots with more distress than he could handle.

"My - my prince…" His voice came out as a strangled whimper. He looked over his prince's shoulder, first at the cracks in the paving, then at the dents in the wall. Dry blood which had turned brown with age streaked both places. The alleyway was quiet – all Agni could hear was Soma's increasingly heavy breathing. The silence alerted Agni of where they were. He placed his hands on Soma's arms and tried to pull him away.

"Please, my prince, we have to leave here – it's not safe for us to stay, if this was truly a hate crime against Indians." When Soma remained stiffly where he was, Agni turned him around to face him. His master's lifeless expression broke his heart. Agni moved his hands as if to hold him close, before remembering how Soma had pushed away his hand a moment ago. He let go of his arms. "The carriage is still in the plaza. We shall return to the townhouse. Lord Ciel will understand."

Agni led the way back through the plaza, ignoring the stares of the surrounding people and hoping Soma was doing the same. He double-checked to make sure Soma was still following. His master trailed along silently behind him, his purple hair hiding his face. Reaching the carriage, Agni let his master climb into the back seat before telling the driver to take them back to where they came from.

Inside the carriage, Soma was scrunched against the far corner, his head resting against the curtains he had drawn to block out the day. His arms and knees shielded his face. Agni sighed and sat down opposite him.

"This is…" His voice was too soft to comprehend, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "This is simply awful. I don't know who would do something like this. I'm so sorry, my prince." He peered at Soma's locked posture. He didn't know what he could say to help. "She… Mina would have died very quickly." He cringed as he realised that this was exactly the wrong thing to say. He had never felt so powerless. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that he could do to help his master. Feeling like it was the weakest action in the world, he leant over and touched Soma's arm.

Soma suddenly looked up at Agni. His face was paler than Agni had ever seen. Tears were streaming down his cheeks at an unstoppable rate. Agni shot back in his seat, alarmed.

"Prince Soma-?!"

Soma lunged across the carriage towards Agni, burrowing his face into his servant's shoulder. Agni immediately swept him into his arms. He shifted to let Soma onto his lap, a position he was not familiar with, but – at that moment – it was not his concern. He let the prince wrap his arms around him and grip him like a lifeline. Agni felt his sherwani slowly becoming drenched with his master's tears.

"A-Agni," the prince choked. He raised his head for a moment, his lips quivering as if he wanted to say something, before his mouth crumpled and he had to bury his face once again. Agni rubbed his master's back in a feeble attempt to comfort him. Soma was trembling like a rabbit in shock. Agni felt his master's hands claw weakly at his back.

"I… Mina-"

Agni made a soft hushing sound as he reached up with one hand to cradle the back of Soma's head. _He has never been so greatly distressed. Recently he has been trying to be so strong too – then this happens. How can I help him? If he continues to feel like this, he will become ill._ He heard Soma mumbling into his shoulder.

"M-my fault. It's my fault. It's… karma-"

Agni's eyes widened.

"My prince, please listen to me. This is not your fault – there is no way this could be your fault! We do not know what happened!"

Soma looked up at him, his eyes wild and red.

"She hated working for me, but she spent almost her whole life waiting on me. Agni, can't you see? I've _taken her life!"_

"You didn't…" Agni fumbled for words. There was no denying that Mina had made it clear in their last meeting that she resented Prince Soma to the point of hatred. "It was not your intention to make Mina hate her life."

"It – it wasn't my intention, but I was still careless to her feelings and now – now she won't ever be able to feel happiness! She only knew a miserable life, a life made miserable by me… and _nothing_ will make up for that…" The tears rushed down his face faster. Agni pulled him close to his chest and rubbed the back of his master's neck with his thumb, even though his soothing was proving futile. For a moment, he considered triggering unconsciousness, before deciding that this was a poor option.

"What I meant was, you shouldn't feel any guilt," Agni said gently. "She disliked being a servant, as do many – as I said, much of our fate is predetermined – but you didn't even realise until after we found her again. You didn't want her to hate her life. You loved her; remember that fact, and hold it close to your heart." He lowered his voice to an even softer tone. "My prince, you loved her, and believed that she loved you too. She didn't tell you anything was wrong at the time when it wasn't too late for you to change your behaviour. You truly valued her to travel all the way to England in an attempt to rescue her, then let her go when she stated her feelings. What else could you have done?"

Soma didn't answer for a while. He released his iron hold on Agni and closed his eyes, like a child trying to defend himself from nightmares that threaten to strike at the last moment in the evening. Agni listened as his master took jagged breaths, which - although audible - were slower than his hysterics the moment before. Finally, he opened his eyes again.

"Agni," he said in a soft, almost steady voice. "You do like serving me, don't you?"

"More than anything else, my prince. You saved my life, in many more ways than one."

Soma sank slightly against him, pressing his cheek against his servant's chest.

"Please don't leave me."

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><p><strong>AN: Special thanks to Robin Mask for beta-reading this chapter :) Sorry for the delay - these last couple of weeks have been quite busy. There shouldn't be such a gap between this chapter and the next.**


	8. Strength

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.**

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><p>Soma did not sleep well that night.<p>

After tossing and turning into the early hours, he drifted into an uneasy dream, where he was a Minotaur chasing Mina through a labyrinth. She thought he was trying to eat her, but really he just wanted to follow her out of the maze they were trapped in. When Mina found her way out, she disappeared round a corner, causing him to look around for her desperately. Then just as he sat down, pawing at the ground with his hooves in despair, Mina appeared to him again, smiling at him as she reached her hand out for him.

He woke up as his hand met thin air. Then reality came crashing down on him and the tide of misery resurfaced. He smothered his face into his pillow and cried until his head and heart hurt. Between gasps for breath, he whispered her name in a broken voice, as if calling for Mina would bring her back. He was answered only by the stone-cold silence of the night.

Soma shivered and pulled his duvet over his head like a fallen canopy. The room felt unbearably cold, as if it had dropped twenty degrees since the previous night. It was still dark outside. He contemplated going back to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Mina; Mina leaning down to embrace him, Mina smiling that smile he now knew to be fake, Mina wandering down the alleyway with that awful Harold West while a shadow loomed behind them…

He flung the covers off him and gripped his head with both hands. There was no way of running away from her, whether he was awake or asleep. He could stand it no longer. He needed company. He clambered shakily to his feet, then made his way to the door and touched the handle. His hand quivered as he tried to turn it… only to let it click back into place as he released his hold.

Would waking Agni relieve him of this guilt? Soma thought back to earlier in the plaza, when they were told of Mina's death. _Agni must have been shocked by the news too, yet he was there immediately to comfort me. For the rest of the day, he stayed by my side, all the while watching me, looking so worried… he can never be happy when he thinks I am not. _Soma leant against the door and exhaled._ I'll let him rest. Kali knows he never rests during the day._

For the first time, he felt the burden of having someone else's happiness depending on his own. Knowing that a person could care that much about him warmed his heart, but with it also came the realisation that he needed to stay strong. Breaking down at three in the morning was not an option. He needed to be less dependent. _If I can last until morning, I might feel stronger._

He shivered again and wrapped his arms around himself. He didn't feel up to being strong at all. His eyes fell shut for a moment before he snapped them open again; it was as if Mina was imprinted on his eyelids. More tears trailed down his cheeks. He wiped them away with his sleeve. _Strong. A fine man is strong. _

He spotted the rainbow scarf draped across the armchair in the corner of the room. Feeling more childish and feeble than ever, he walked across the room and picked it up. Climbing back onto his mattress, he curled the scarf around his shoulders and lay down on his front. He realised that Agni's arm had been in the same position around his shoulders for much of the evening. The smooth, soft folds stroked his cheeks.

Somehow, he lasted through the night.

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><p>In the morning, he stirred himself awake, even though he was still exhausted. Daylight shone onto his bed and lit up the room. Agni must have already drawn the curtains. Soma sank back onto his mattress. Agni never woke him up when he thought the prince was ill. Soma looked down at the scarf, which was still clutched in one hand. He could see how Agni had come to that conclusion.<p>

Still, Soma knew he would not be spending the day in bed. He didn't want to be left alone for a moment longer. He ignored his pounding headache as he stumbled to his feet and trundled out of his room into the corridor.

"So, it goes without saying that you two didn't find out anything of use?" On hearing Ciel's voice downstairs, Soma wandered to the top of the stairs. His footing was unstable and he had to cling to the banister for support.

"I'm afraid we couldn't continue our search yesterday. Please forgive us, Lord Ciel." Agni's tone sounded hoarser than usual.

"Where _is _the prince, anyhow? It is past eleven o'clock. Laziness is not thought of as becoming of a gentleman."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Lord Ciel – my prince needs to rest today. He has had a shock and is badly shaken."

Soma took a deep breath and made his way down the stairs. He followed the voices to the living room. Agni had his back to the door as he stood facing Ciel and Sebastian. Ciel glanced round him on seeing the prince.

"What on earth _happened? _You both look terrible."

Agni turned around. He looked startled at the sight of his master. When he hurried over to him, Soma could see the dark bags under his servant's eyes, which gave away the fact that he must have stayed awake all night long.

"My prince, I…" Agni didn't seem to know what to say. His hands fell on Soma's shoulders, his touch far less steady than usual. Soma glanced sideways at the mirror to his right. His plum hair was rumpled, his fringe sticking up at all angles, while his eyes were bloodshot and heavily shadowed. It probably didn't help matters that he appeared downstairs in his pyjamas. He felt Agni's hands trying to steer him back through the door. "You need to go back to your room. You are not well."

Soma shook his head.

"No," he croaked. "I – I can't. Not… by my…" He swallowed. He was in no danger of crying – he was wrung out of tears. Still, on seeing Ciel and Sebastian, he tried to prevent his voice from cracking. "I'd rather not be alone," he got out.

Agni's eyes glossed over. Before Soma knew it, he had been pulled into a tight hug. His eyes widened as he was flattened against his servant's body.

"My prince, I am sorry! Please understand, you are never alone! If you want me, I am always here for you. I'm sorry it's only me, but – oh, what little I can do, I will do for you! Just ask me!"

After a pause, Sebastian cleared his throat.

"Do you two need a moment?"

Soma looked at him from around Agni's arm. The butler was watching them, his lips quirked up as if amused by their dramatics. Ciel on the other hand had his eyes trained on them with that thoughtful expression which he wore when watching the pair during self-defence training. The memory made Soma freeze.

_Could this be 'suspiciously close'?_

Despite a strong part of him rejecting the notion, Soma pried himself out of his servant's arms. The helpless expression on Agni's face made him want to go right back into his embrace. With all the restraint he could muster, Soma avoided his gaze and turned back to Ciel.

"What would you like us to do today?"

"Er…" Ciel raised his eyebrows. "Frankly, I'm not sure you are in a state to help. You still haven't told us what is going on." He waited for an answer. He appeared surprised when he didn't receive one. "Well, how about we have lunch prepared and you tell me in the meantime. Sebastian, prepare something sweet for dessert as well."

"Yes, my lord."

Sebastian bowed. He and Agni left the room. Soma felt a tug of discomfort as he watched his khansama leave with Ciel's. He couldn't pin the cause of it exactly, but a part of him felt… supressed. Sebastian handed Agni a handkerchief as they walked down the corridor to the kitchen. Soma's discomfort increased as he watched his attendant gracefully dabbing at his cheeks. He fought the urge to resolve matters in a way Ciel would regard as highly inappropriate.

Ciel appeared at Soma's side.

"It is displays like _that,_" Ciel noted in an undertone, "which raise questions. Granted, it wasn't you this time, but you need to establish some boundaries. Butlers are not our friends. They are here to serve us, nothing more. You could say it would be against a master's aesthetics to have any sort of relationship with our employees that is not strictly professional. I imagine you are starting to understand what I mean." Soma didn't answer. "Prince?"

No. The urge was too powerful to resist.

Soma dashed down the corridor after the servants, ignoring Ciel's yell of, "Listen when I'm talking to you!" He launched himself at Agni from behind and wrapped his arms around his servant's torso. Agni looked down at him from over his shoulder, bewildered.

"Agni, you're the best khansama ever," Soma spluttered, squeezing him around the waist. Yes, he had just been warned to be professional, and he was no doubt making the atmosphere extremely awkward for their English company, but at this point he just didn't care. "I appreciate all you do for me so much, you do realise that? Don't ever let me take advantage of you."

A faint blush appeared on Agni's cheeks. Slowly, he began to smile, a smile which was so genuinely happy it made Soma's heart pound slightly faster.

"Thank you, my prince."

"Prince Soma," Ciel said sharply.

Soma let Agni go with Sebastian to prepare lunch. He felt satisfied, and a little better on seeing that smile. _Perhaps I should compliment him more often._ Ciel folded his arms sternly.

"Well, after… _that_… would you care to tell me what happened yesterday? Whatever happened, it's done something to the pair of you." After a long pause, he raised his eyebrows. "How is it that you are so loud most of the time, yet when I actually want you to talk, you don't?"

"Ciel, when we were out…" Soma started. _We found out Mina was brutally murdered._ These words failed to escape from him. He couldn't trust himself to say them without breaking down again, and he knew how Ciel despised weakness. Usually he didn't care – little Ciel could use the odd emotional outburst – but Mina was too close to him, too guarded. To be told to get a grip and stop crying over her would probably break him.

"We shall sit down somewhere to discuss this. Maybe… we could even go up to your room and sit on your bed while we talk."

Soma blinked, surprised that Ciel remembered that detail of Indian culture from when they first met. _Is Ciel… trying to reach me?_

"Thank you, Ciel."

They ascended the stairs. Ciel glanced at the paintings on the wall as he climbed each step. He seemed to be trying to avoid looking directly at his companion.

"Prince, you should not compliment your butler so. Cooking your favourite meals, protecting you from harm, being there for you at all times… you must understand, these are not praiseworthy actions. They are merely what butlers are expected to do."

_Yes, but that isn't all Agni does for me. Those are only the actions._

"As for 'taking advantage' of him – isn't that the very purpose of having a servant? You will learn this soon enough: as a person, you are either taken advantage of, or take advantage of others. You are in a position of power, which you need to hold a value to in order not to be taken advantage of."

Soma thought back to the night of the attack; how their assailants felt so angry, so exploited, that they were prepared to kill him just for being a prince – because being a rich person who didn't have to work automatically made him the advantage-taker. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed and had to stop in his tracks, because their attitude reminded him so much of Mina.

The assailants were right: he was a terrible person and he didn't deserve Agni. However, fortune had given him this particular man regardless.

He would strive to be a worthy master. That was his new goal.

"Ciel," he said. "That might be how it is for you and your khansama, but with us it's different."

Ciel turned around to face him. Two steps above, he looked down on Soma.

"It shouldn't be."

"Oh, but it _is_!" Soma reached out and grabbed his younger friend by the wrist. Ciel twitched, but surprisingly didn't shake him off. "Maybe you have never let anyone down, but I… I have already spoiled one servant's life beyond repair, and there's nothing I can do to repent for her. I cannot do the same to another!"

Ciel blinked his large blue eye. He stared at the prince.

"I think I can take an educated guess as to what you're about to tell me."

To Soma's astonishment, the boy started towing him up the rest of the stairs, as if he thought the prince was incapable of climbing them himself. Soma drifted along with him, allowing his weakness to show itself._ Of course Ciel would know how I feel_. _He too knows the pain of losing someone dear. _He straightened up with an observation. _No. Ciel has had it so much worse. He lost both his parents, who he loved as much as they loved him, when he was only a child. They too were murdered in cold blood. Lizzie told me that he had lost his aunt as well, barely any time before he first met me._

"Ciel," he whispered weakly. "How are you so brave?"

Ciel pushed open the door to his room with one hand. He tipped his head to the side, considering.

"Focusing on what you have lost will not get you anywhere," he said finally. "Free yourself from the cage."

"Using the spider's thread?"

"Using the spider's thread," Ciel agreed. "Feel anything but despair. Don't give up when there is something else to be done."

Soma followed him into the bedroom, absorbing these words. Slowly, a new emotion began to course through him, breaking through the cloud of misery. A rare form of anger. A hunger for justice.

_Mina, the person who killed you will not get away with this. Your death will have a resolution. I will help Ciel find his salvation. I will… I will repay the kindness shown to me!_

An energy built up inside him; an unfamiliar, but very welcome energy.

Strength.


	9. Karma

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso**

* * *

><p>Sebastian placed two teacups on a tray.<p>

"Murdered?" he said, in a voice which Agni thought was remarkably calm. "Dear me, I assume the prince did not react well."

"He…" Agni wondered how much of his master's reaction should be kept at his discretion. "He was naturally very upset," he said carefully.

"I can imagine. You have my condolences."

"Thank you."

The kitchen was comfortably quiet with just the two of them. Agni was very fond of Sebastian's staff, but today he didn't think he had enough energy to humour them. Sebastian on the other hand radiated an aura of peacefulness. Agni fetched two saucers for Sebastian to load slices of cake onto. He watched the dark-haired butler neatly cut two exactly equal portions. Sebastian wore a contented smile as he gave each slice a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Once again Agni felt a wave of admiration for his friend.

"You take care of Lord Ciel so well, Mister Sebastian. He must truly value you."

Sebastian laughed softly.

"My master has high standards. It is my duty to meet them."

Agni nodded.

"Indeed." He reached over to take one of the trays, but Sebastian placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Allow me, you look rather tired."

"I am fine," Agni assured him.

"Even so, we have thoroughly loaded these trays. We have to be careful not to drop them, don't we?" Sebastian gave him a knowing smile. "Besides, I know you are tired. Humans get emotional when fatigued, hence your crying after presumably many hours of trying to hold it together for the prince's sake." He flicked up his eyebrows elegantly. "Am I correct?"

Agni blinked a couple of times. For someone who he had only met some months ago, Sebastian at times seemed to know him too well. He then felt his eyelids slant down involuntarily and came to the conclusion that this observation did not require psychic powers.

"You're rarely wrong."

He took the teapot, relieved that his hands were steady, while Sebastian lifted up a tray in each hand as if nothing was weighing them down. They walked down the corridor towards the living room. Agni opened the door for them. He tensed up when he saw the living room had been abandoned. He looked around for their masters anxiously, until he heard Sebastian chuckling.

"Oh, would you look at that? They're not here," Sebastian said nonchalantly. He was still smiling. "Well, we'll just have to go and search for them. Children do love to play hide-and-seek."

"…Quite." Agni shook his head, feeling foolish. Now he was overreacting to problems that didn't even exist. _How disturbing that must be for my company._ He allowed his heavy eyelids to close for a moment. He snapped them open and blinked rapidly when he felt himself swaying backwards.

"Are you quite alright, Mister Agni?" Sebastian balanced both trays on one arm as he reached out to steady him. His expression was a mixture of concern and disdain.

"Yes, thank you." Agni sighed. "Mister Sebastian, how do you do it?"

"I'm afraid you are going to have to be a tad more specific."

Agni sighed again.

"I know you care for Lord Ciel as much as I care for Lord Soma-"

"Oh, I wouldn't go quite that far," Sebastian remarked slyly.

"So how can you bear it? How can you bear serving your master day after day, trying your hardest to bring him everything he might want, yet knowing that there are some things beyond our control? I told you once it is our responsibility to keep them in good health and good spirits, but when there are other factors involved… it feels impossible at times!"

"That is because it _is_ impossible at times," Sebastian replied. "Listen, I can be one hell of a butler, but protecting the manor, preparing him sweets and helping him in every task will never bring back his parents. That is a fact which was laid down from the start. Therefore, we can only do what we can. The only one who can pull a person out of despair is the person themselves. You can lower a rope to a trapped captive, but they themselves have to climb it."

Agni had been listening, mesmerised, but he disagreed with the last sentiment.

"Prince Soma saved me from despair."

"Well, that's… unusual. He saved you from hanging too, which might have had something to do with it."

Somehow, Agni was stung by these words.

"I didn't even want to live," he said in a small voice.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to hit a nerve."

The Indian butler smiled.

"That's alright. I can imagine our story being hard to understand from an objective point of view." He cast his eyes down sadly. "He saved me. I only wish I could save him in return."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Sebastian chuckled. "Judging from his actions earlier, he seems to… hold you in very high regard."

Agni felt his cheeks heat up at the memory. Soma said he _appreciated _him. He couldn't stop the shy smile tugging at his lips. His master's words made him indescribably happy and light-headed despite his tiredness. When they reached the landing, however, he tried to form a more serious expression. Sebastian smirked.

"You don't want to appear disrespectful by smiling, do you? Believe me, _smile._ Prince Soma knows you care about him – to not know would be taking 'oblivious' to a new level – and I'm sure he would feel a lot better if he could see you smiling." He gave a very crafty smile of his own. "The blush adds a nice touch too."

This of course made Agni turn positively scarlet. His fellow manservant usually appeared to be so proper and formal, yet remarks such as this made Agni suspect the Englishman had a mischievous streak hidden under that exterior. Sebastian came across as innocent when pointing out the truth, but he seemed to take a certain delight in pointing out unfortunate truths. _Mister Sebastian, just what is it that you're thinking about me?_

They entered the bedroom. Lord Ciel and Prince Soma were sitting cross-legged on the unmade bed facing each other. They appeared to be in the middle of a serious conversation. Agni watched them for a moment fondly. He thought they looked rather sweet, like two young boys conversing the rules of a game. He internally reprimanded himself a moment later for thinking such thoughts. _I must not patronise them like that._

Sebastian cleared his throat. The pair turned their heads to look at him.

"Young Master, we have prepared lunch and dessert as you wished."

He placed the trays on the bedside table and took the teapot from Agni to pour his master a cup of tea. Agni took one of the plates and offered it to his prince. When he held out the plate, Soma did two unexpected actions.

The prince _smiled _at him. Agni was so taken aback to see his master's smile return this soon that he nearly dropped the plate. His hands shook as he thought of how much bravery and kindness his master had to even try to give him a smile. Soma took the plate from his quivering hands. He then said something even more unexpected.

"Thank you, Agni."

His three companions froze when he said these words. Agni lowered his head awkwardly. His master had never thanked him for doing something as simple as passing him a plate before, not even when it was just the pair of them in the house. No master ever thanked their servant or apologised to them: it was against conduct. Agni looked to Sebastian and Lord Ciel nervously. Their expressions confirmed his fears that they thought this was an inappropriate remark.

He was struck by a realisation: both he and Soma broke the English customs of appropriate behaviour many times between them. Often this would be passed off as Indian culture being different to English culture. However, nowadays they rarely did so at the same time. Their behaviour was becoming harder to explain. A simple 'this is how we are' no longer sufficed.

_Actually, how _are _we, Prince Soma?_ _I don't even know myself any more._

Soma looked around at each of his companions, appearing confused by their silence. All Agni could do was ease away the awkwardness.

"You are welcome, my prince. Would you like some tea too?"

"Yes please."

Agni flinched – masters were not supposed to say 'please' either – but walked around to Sebastian's side to pour some tea as if unfazed. He heard Lord Ciel hissing something to Soma, but he couldn't make out what is was. He returned to his master with a teacup.

"_Thank you," _Soma said again in a pointedly firm voice.

When Sebastian smiled, Agni's anxiety ebbed away. Their eyes met, mutually amused by Soma's aggressively good manners. Agni raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'I don't know what he's up to either.'

"Agni."

He turned round when Lord Ciel called for him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Perhaps you can make your prince see reason. I am having no luck myself."

Agni turned to Soma and raised his eyebrows questioningly. His master jumped up from the bed.

"Ciel won't let me go out and help him today," he said indignantly, "when I am fine! Agni, tell him we shall help him today and that's that."

Agni looked at him with regret and shook his head.

"Lord Ciel is right. Today is not the day. You need to take the day off."

"You don't think I can?" Soma asked. He looked betrayed.

"You wouldn't be of any use in your state," Lord Ciel stated.

"I am sure we can manage alone, we usually do," Sebastian added.

"No." Soma sounded pained. "You are all acting like this can be left until tomorrow. It can't! The arsonist association is out there. Mina's killer is out there. Ciel, the people who -!" He cut himself off, much to Agni's relief. Soma shook his head and continued. "What I'm saying is, bad people are out there wrong-doing, and they are out there _right now. _Do you think they take the day off? Staying here and doing nothing is _letting them win_!"

"My prince, you're panicking, please calm down!" Agni gasped.

"So you think I have been letting whoever murdered my parents win?" Lord Ciel said coolly. "_Thank you_."

"No! I didn't mean that! I…" Soma took a deep breath and hung his head. "I'm sorry, I'm… just…"

"Angry?" Sebastian offered. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but in my years of experience, anger is a weakness in itself. Possibly the biggest weakness of them all." He arched an eyebrow. "Though I am sure you have been warned before, being a devotee of the Goddess Kali. Young Master, shall we be on our way?"

"Yes. I cannot waste a moment longer," Lord Ciel replied in an acidic tone. He placed his teacup back on the tray. "We shall call on you tomorrow. Perhaps I will find something useful for you to do, if you have recovered by then – and I will be the judge of that. Let us go, Sebastian."

Agni cringed internally at the tension in the room as their friends left. He looked to his master. Soma bit his lip and sat down in the armchair.

"I didn't mean to offend little Ciel," he said sadly. "Him waiting for his enemies to find him and being prepared for when they do – it's different. I can't explain how… maybe it's because he is still a child. But we must find those who hurt him and Mina. It's the only way we can even begin to set things right."

Agni paused as he thought of what would be helpful to say.

"My prince," he said slowly. "Helping others is our calling in life. You know this and do your best to do so, and I am immensely proud to call you my master. However, when it overlaps into seeking revenge…"

Soma blinked at him with wide eyes. Agni gave him a warm smile.

"I am sure you remember our religion's teachings about the principle of karma." He then remembered Soma's suggestion that Mina's death was his karma. "It doesn't only affect you, even though it may seem that way at times – it is a worldly principle."

"So a lightning bolt is going to come down from somewhere and strike our wrong-doers for us?"

Agni chuckled.

"Maybe not quite like that, but yes, what goes around comes around, even if it comes around in the next life."

Slowly, Soma began to smile.

"That's good. I like that idea. It makes everything seem less hopeless."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, today -"

"But I still want to do something."

Agni let out an inaudible sigh. He would have much preferred for his master to rest, but he also knew about nightmares all too well and understood that the prince did not want to expose himself to them. He thought of an idea, one which made his limbs groan in protest.

"How about we head downstairs and have another sparring session? It might help you clear your mind, plus you will be even better prepared for the next part of Lord Ciel's quest."

Soma's face lit up.

"Yes, let's!" He looked down at himself. "Perhaps I should change into something other than pyjamas."

"Perhaps." Agni smiled. "In a real fight, your enemies probably wouldn't wait for you to get dressed, but I have more patience."

"Lucky me," Soma said with a grin. He sprang to his feet and bounded to his clothes rack. Agni made to leave the room. He cast a glance behind him before he left. Something caught his eye.

_Why is my scarf on his bed?_

He disappeared behind the door, only to hear Soma's voice call out to him.

"So Agni, could someone's karma be that we will come after them?"

Agni laughed.

"You are too much, my prince. No, revenge cannot be passed off as someone else's karma. To follow principles is to obey them, not find loopholes around them."

He walked downstairs to set out the living room, thinking about the scarf, and whether he was supposed to have seen it.

* * *

><p>Agni shoved the furniture against the walls, as he had for every sparring practice. He wondered why Soma was taking so long. The sound of feet pattering against carpet made him smile. <em>This again.<em> He whipped round and caught Soma just as the prince tried to pounce on him.

"Why do my sneak attacks never work on you?" Soma sighed. He swung his legs as Agni held him suspended from the floor.

"All you can do is keep trying," Agni replied with an amused smile. He set the prince down. "We might work on ambushing our opponents later. I think it would be more important for us to practice preventing ourselves from being ambushed."

"Can we do a recap of what you tried to teach me last session?" Soma asked. "I think I can get the hang of it this time."

"Certainly."

Soma took a deep breath and beckoned him forward with a gesture of his hand. Agni stepped towards him, unsure of which way Soma was about to counter his attack.

_Can he even counter me?_

He brought forward his fist slowly, which gave Soma plenty of time to prepare a counter. The smaller man sprang to the side and struck his arm sharply, successfully rendering it limp. His fingers enclosed around Agni's wrist. He simultaneously yanked at his servant's arm and collided his foot into his with such force that Agni was brought to the floor. Agni was startled by the improvement. He turned over onto his back to get up, only for Soma to clap both hands over his shoulders and pin him to the floor. Soma grinned as he knelt on him.

"Underestimating your opponents is the ultimate weakness," he teased.

Agni looked up at him. He smiled weakly.

"Very good, my prince. Excellent improvement."

Soma's cheeks flushed - with pride, Agni assumed. Agni was so happy to see him looking pleased with himself once again.

"I can remember the other pressure points too. Here, I'll show you." He reached over with one hand to touch his servant's temple. Agni shivered at his touch, but thankfully his master was merely tracing out where each pressure point was, as opposed to demonstrating the effect of striking each one. Soma chattered away about his techniques for remembering each vulnerable area, making no effort to get off his servant.

Agni made no attempt to free himself either.

Eventually, Soma put his hands back on his servant's shoulders. He frowned as if considering an idea.

"Take off your bandage, Agni."

Agni shook his head.

"No, I mustn't -"

"Why not?"

"It wouldn't be a wise idea."

"…Okay."

Agni was slightly stunned, but relieved, when his master relented. He made as if to sit up, only for his master to throw himself forward and pin him with his forearm.

"Fooled you," Soma said with a grin. He gave a mischievous wink before using his free hand to rip off his servant's bandages. He jumped up and ran to the other side of the room, waving the bandages like a flag. "Now you will face me properly! Come on!"

"My prince, I cannot! Please give them back!" Agni leapt to his feet and faced Soma, though kept a sizable distance between them. Soma cocked his head and put his hands on his hips.

"Agni, in a real fight, no one who comes against me will try to restrain their power. They won't go easy on me, like you always do." These was a touch of accusation in his tone. "I need to know that I can really defend myself from whoever we come across!"

_You can't. _Agni felt deeply ashamed when this thought entered his mind. That level of doubt was positively _sinful_. Yet his master did not understand the risk. He sighed.

"Please give them back. My right hand… I have to keep it under control. I cannot risk hurting you. " He avoided his master's gaze and hung his head. The resulting silence seemed to stretch on for minutes. Finally, he heard Soma walk towards him.

"Look at me." Soma's voice sounded close to _coaxing_. Agni raised his head. The prince smiled at him softly. "Sometimes it feels like we are not honest with each other all the time. No, don't say that isn't true – try as we may, we always hold something back, don't we? It would be great if everyone could be honest with each other all the time, but they aren't – _we_ aren't."

Agni nodded sadly. Soma reached out and touched his arm. He was still wearing that oddly tranquil smile.

"I'd like you to trust me. I'm not expecting you to – you couldn't even leave me at Weston without keeping an eye out, that's how little faith you have in my ability to defend myself."

"That was -" Soma held up his hand to indicate he wasn't finished. Agni bit his lip. Soma wasn't going to forgive him for his overprotectiveness back at Weston College in a hurry.

"But you seem to think _I _don't trust _you. _I'm telling you now: I _do _trust you, more than anyone else. Look, I'm even being honest with you about being dishonest. As strange as it sounds…" He squeezed his servant's arm. "Have faith in my faith in you."

Agni knew he was colouring red again. He tried to speak, but no words came to him. The only action he could muster was a teary-eyed smile. He had never felt so overwhelmed or elated before. _You have faith in me. You trust me._ These thoughts ricocheted around his mind, sending energy through his whole body…

Including his right hand.

Soma raised his eyebrows and pulled his servant's arm closer to inspect it.

"Agni?" He looked up at his servant with a very confused expression. "How come your hand is playing up even when I haven't ordered you to do anything?" He held it up to his eye. "It's really shiny as well," he noted, sounding awed.

The blue light was so bright it reflected off the prince's face. Panic struck Agni like a lightning bolt of karma. He withdrew his arm.

"My prince, please permit me to retire for a moment," he mumbled.

Soma looked alarmed.

"Agni -?"

Agni backed away.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you!"

He broke off into a run. He heard Soma calling for him as he fled the room.

"But I know you would never hurt me! Come back!"

"I will only be a moment!"

He reached the kitchen and shut the door behind him. He leant against it, closing his eyes. Even from behind his eyelids, he could see the blue light flickering obstinately.

_Take a deep breath and count to ten,_ he told himself._ Then find some more bandages._

One…

"_Arshad is an impossibly strong child. Where does he get such strength from?"_

Two…

"_Does it matter? With that kind of strength he could have whatever he wants!"_

Three…

"_Your blessing is your curse. You have taken advantage of what the gods have given you and used it to your own selfish ends."_

Four…

"_You will now be hanged for your crimes."_

Five…

"_I don't care what you did in your old life. This is your new life, and who you are now is what matters!"_

Six…

"_We are going to get along splendidly, I can tell! When did you learn to make curry so well? Instead of being just my sparring partner, perhaps you would like to be my personal manservant?"_

Seven…

"_Mina, I don't know why my hand glows blue! Could it be a type of illness?"_

Eight…

"_When does it happen? Well, it happens on occasion. Usually it happens at the best of times…and always when around or thinking about our prince. It seems to equip itself to serve him as required. Is that odd?"_

Nine…

"_It is extremely odd. I know why – and yes, it is an illness of sorts. If you can't get rid of it, hide it. Here: these bandages should help. Only take them off when commanded."_

Ten.

He opened his eyes. The light had faded. He looked at his right hand and considered its bittersweet power. The power to heal and the power to destroy simultaneously. A blessing and a curse. So strong, yet so weak.

Suddenly he heard his master attempting to push the door open from the other side. Agni took a step away from the door to let the prince swing it open. Soma looked round the door anxiously.

"Are you alright?"

Agni forced a smile which he sincerely hoped was reassuring.

"Yes, my prince. Sorry, I just needed to…" He folded his arm around his back when touched by his master's genuine concern. "To collect myself for a minute."

Soma slipped round the door. He held out the bandages. Agni held out his hands to take them from him. Instead, Soma took his arm.

"Allow me."

Agni's instincts urged him not to let him. Soma's declaration of trust was still fresh in his mind, however, so he concluded he would be a very poor servant to not return this trust of his master's judgement. Soma wound the bandages around his hand – far too loosely. Agni knew he would have to retie them tighter later.

"Why your hand played up just now…" Soma gave a smile as he knotted the ends at Agni's wrist and admired his handiwork.

"My prince, it's -"

"It's because you're tired, right?" Soma chuckled to himself. "You can't fool me. You're not immune to tiredness, you're only human after all, and no human can go without sleep for too long." He frowned. "Except Sebastian. But I have a theory he's not human."

"Oh?" Agni raised his eyebrows, bemused. "What is our friend, then?"

Soma paused for thought.

"Zombie," he decided.

Agni shook his head, smiling.

"No, my prince. Mister Sebastian is not a zombie. I think it is perhaps time you got some rest yourself."

"Come on, you don't see it?" Soma sounded indignant as they walked down the corridor. "He never rests, always looks the same – and his eyes are _red! _Hang on… with his red eyes, pale skin and black hair… maybe he's a vampire!"

"Maybe you are onto the biggest mystery of all," Agni teased lightly.

"You've got to admit, he has very pointy fangs."

Agni laughed.

"Mister Sebastian doesn't have fangs! Thank goodness he isn't here to hear you say that."

Soma pouted, though Agni could tell he was joking.

"Whatever happened to my khansama who would agree with everything I said?"

"Alright: Mister Sebastian is a vampire, if you would have it so."

Soma grinned.

"Much better. Well, I'll retire to my room, and let you rest too." He gave a reassuring smile. "I'm feeling better, trust me. Tomorrow, we will be able to help Ciel."

"Yes. Good night – rather, good afternoon, my prince."

Soma smiled and scampered up the stairs. Agni watched him thoughtfully. He couldn't help but think of his prince's extraordinary resilience, to be more-or-less back to his cheerful self only a day after being so shaken the day before. _No – of course he isn't 'back to normal' yet. He is putting on a brave face for Lord Ciel and… well, me. _This thought jolted him.

_My prince, you are putting your servant's needs before your own. Don't you know how good you are?_

_I… admire you more than I can describe._

Blue light shone through the cracks between the loosely-wrapped bandages, as if to tease him.

"_Why your hand played up just now…" _

"_My prince, it's-"_

"_It's because you're tired, right?"_

Agni hid his face in his hands, his eyes repelled by the light.

"No," he whispered. "It's an illness of sorts – one which I will have to hide."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Unfortunately, the next update on this story will be no earlier than at least four weeks from now. I am spending my winter holidays at a place with very limited internet access. On a positive note, I will probably be able to update quicker in the new year, as this will give me time to think of a clear structure for my stories :) **

**Have a good holiday everyone!**


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